Common + Q-Tip = The Standard

Think of it as the Black Star of the 21st Century. While Mos Def and Talib Kweli continue to tease with the occasional one-off duo appearance, two of their fellow '90s hip-hop juggernauts are joining forces on a more permanent basis. As reported by XXLMag.com, Chicago kingpin Common and ex-Tribe Called Quest abstractionist Q-Tip are tag-teaming it up as The Standard. The pair hasn't started recording just yet, but there's no better way for two top-notch MCs to bond than by embarking on a national tour together.

The trek has been dubbed the 2K Sports Bounce Tour (even socially aware rappers need a corporate sponsor every now and then), and will primarily canvas the East Coast. Also aboard for all of the dates: Stones Throw rapper Percee P. Now that's a treacherous threesome.

Bounce that:

September
22 - Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Rave
24 - Toronto, Ontario @ Kool Haus
25 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Electric Factory
27 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Amos' Southend
28 - Greensboro, N.C. @ N Club
29 - Myrtle Beach, S.C. @ House of Blues
30 - Orlando, Fl. @ House of Blues

October
1 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Tabernacle
3 - Baltimore, Md. @ Sonar
5 - Washington, D.C. @ Love
6 - Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium
7 - New York, N.Y. @ Nokia Theatre
8 - Norfolk, Va. @ Norva
10 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent*
14 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Key Club*

*Q-Tip solo

Common also has a smattering of solo dates leading up to the Big Bounce:

September:
19 - St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
20 - Chicago, Ill. @ Charter One Pavillion*
21 - Maplewood, Minn. @ The Myth
26 - Washington, D.C. @ Love

*w/ Joss Stone

As for Q-Tip, there's still little word on his upcoming solo records - that's right: twins! However, it appears that one of those two, The Renaissance now has a tentative release date of "early 2008." Maybe he left the other album somewhere in El Segundo?

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