Apart from performing co-headlining shows back in 2009 (with Gilles Peterson and DJ Semtex), we honestly can't remember when acclaimed lyricist, Q-Tip, last appeared in the UK for his own gigs. Which isn't that surprising - the Queens-born rapper and performer has issued just three studio albums in 12 years. There is possibly a fourth on its way, but his earlier contributions to the back catalogue of the acclaimed hip-hop outfit, A Tribe Called Quest, probably earn him just as much respect as his newer material. Could he kick it? Yes he could....

Initially disbanding in the late '90s, Q-Tip opted to continue solo and released, what has become something of a signature club classic, "Breathe and Stop". The fine album "Amplified" appeared and disappeared (in the UK), he appeared on Deee-Lite's smash "Groove is in the Heart" and Chemical Brothers' more recent "Galvanize" single (he shared a Grammy for that) and finally issued two more solo albums in 2008 and 2009, the latest of which is "Kamaal/The Abstract", a collection of tracks originally slated for release as far back as 2002.

The lyrical miracle will no doubt perform material from much of his career when he hits the UK in August, starting with Manchester's Academy on the 23rd and London's IndigO2 on the 26th. Tickets are on sale now, priced at £25 for Manchester/ from £28.50 for London.