>PLUS, The Love Movement wasn't the swan song we thought we
>were getting.
>
>The hate for Amplified was less about the music and more about
>(what we thought) was one of our
>saviors choosing the other side.

That about sums it up IMO. Longtime ATCQ fans had a sour taste in their mouths over TLM, so when Tip continued on that similar trajectory for his solo album, and seemingly sought even more commercial appeal, folks turned their nose at it.

And it was definitely a matter of timing. Because that's around the time that the underground v mainstream thing started to really pick up steam. So folks like myself retreated to their backpacks, while a new generation of casual mainstream listeners blasted "Vivrant Thing" right alongside "Thong Song".

At the time, a lot of us cringed over TLM and Amplified. But I think with the benefit of hindsight, most of us can now appreciate them for what they were and are - which is really good hip-hop with crossover appeal by one of our favorite groups and its leader, respectively. I know I do.

And to the OP's question, Dilla did his thing. Not his best not his worst.