The Bay Area turned out en masse to San Francisco's Mezzanine Nov. 13 to see Q-Tip, one of the former members of the sometimes defunct A Tribe Called Quest, take back hip hop with a little help from his friends.

Mezzanine was packed to capacity with hip hop lovers anxious to hear The Renaissance, the much anticipated and critically acclaimed follow up to 1999's  Amplified, in the live.  L.A.'s Pacific Division, The Knux and The Cool Kids kicked off the evening, the latter being just as cool as their name promises, energizing the crowd with hits like  “Delivery Man” and “Black Mags.”

But let's get real, everyone was really waiting for Q-Tip.  And he didn't disappoint, pumping with some of the freshest sounds to grace this city in years.  A time capsule of old Tribe tunes, peppered with a samplings from The Renaissance, including the gorgeous "Getting Up," drove the crowd crazy.  

Although Q-Tip and and old Tribe-mate Phife Dawg were lookin' pretty damn good, the invisible star of the evening was definitely Barack Obama.  His win last week had clearly pumped the hell out of the performers and audience alike, and took center stage. Not only is there a revitalized enthusiasm for hip hop in this city, there's revitalized enthusiasm for this country as well.