With a new single out today and a new album on the way, Q-Tip is focused on the future.

Q-Tip

The veteran Tribe Called Quest rapper and producer is making his single "WorkItOut" available today as a free download on his MySpace page, hoping to generate some buzz for his forthcoming solo album, The Renaissance, which is set for a fall release on Universal Motown.

But Q-Tip also has an eye on the past, as he continues to hope that Arista Records will release his long-shelved 2001 solo album out of limbo. Kamaal the Abstract, a jazzier, more eclectic album than any of Tribe's albums or Q-Tip's solo debut, 1999's Amplified, was never released in April 2002 as planned.

Q-Tip has a long-running petition on his MySpace page to get Arista to release the record, and although the album has been rumored for a release this year, no date has been announced. The petition currently has slightly more than 10,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, The Renaissance features a live band and guest spots from the likes of Common, Outkast's Andre 3000, and D'Angelo.

"I wanted a hip-hop sonic feel, something pure to the sound of hip-hop with real drums, real emotion and people taking solos," he told Billboard in January. "In that sense, this record feels like we're moving in a new direction...something hip-hop should do."

In a statement, Q-Tip called "WorkItOut" a "feel-good song" and said it is emblematic of the new album's sound: "thought-provoking, dance-friendly, fun, and last but not least, hip-hop. It'll keep you moving, thinking, grooving, and sweating with energy and unforgettable hooks long into sexy summer nights."

Q-Tip is also to appear on the track "Kids With Words" on the new Wu-Tang Clan album, The 8 Diagrams, due in the fall via SRC Records.