Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest has been assigned as the music, co-lyricist and cast album producer for upcoming musical on the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

In his role, Tip will work directly with director Clint Dyer whose credits include Othello and Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical and the shows composer Teddy Abrams. Abrams serves as musical director of the Louisville Orchestra, which is based in the city where Ali was born. The genesis of the idea for Ali was born with a 2017 multimedia rap-opera mashup which Abrams penned called The Greatest: Muhammad Ali which premiered with the Louisville Orchestra at Louisville's Kennedy Center.

Saxophonist Casey Benjamin will also join the production as associate music producer. Benjamin played saxes and vocoder for the Robert Glasper Experiment, and has worked with Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Nas and a list of others. Sean Mayes has joined Ali as music supervisor. Mayes has served as music director, orchestrator and arranger for An Evening With Andre De Shields with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and has performed musical duties for shows and orchestras in Canada, where he was born.

In an exclusive statement to Deadline Q-Tip wrote: “I am very excited to be collaborating with Teddy, Clint, Casey and Sean in telling The Greatest’s story on stage. Muhammad Ali has always been a hero to me!”