Talib Kweli is one of Brooklyn's many great MCs. In 1998 he linked up with fellow Brooklynite Mos Def for the lone Black Star LP, a record that is still influencing rappers today.
Since then he's gone on to release a number of solo albums, linking up with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Big K.R.I.T., Kanye West, Common, Norah Jones, Raekwon and many more. It should be noted that Dave Chappelle also loves Talib Kweli.
With his upcoming album Radio Silence due to be released this year, we figured it is a good time to dedicate a #TBT to the one and only Talib Kweli. His output over the past 20 years can be described with one word: QUALITY. As he would tell you, the word can't be spelled without his last name. Peep the list and let us know how we did in the comments.
Talib Kweli - Get By [Prod. Kanye West]
Perhaps Talib's best known song is "Get By." The overwhelmingly positive message is a fairly stark contrast from what we're used to seeing in mainstream rap, and it is certainly welcomed.
"This morning, I woke up
Feeling brand new, I jumped up
Feeling my highs and my lows
In my soul and my goals
Just to stop smoking and stop drinking
I've been thinking, I've got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by
Just to get by, just to get by"
Black Star - Respiration featuring Common
Four years before his solo debut, Talib cut an album with Mos Def under the name Black Star. One of the dopest cuts on that album featured common, and was called "Respiration." The smooth guitar strokes helped to form the perfect beat for these three MCs to go in on.
Black Star - Definition
Another prime example of what Black Star is capable of comes in the form of "Definition." Check out one of the great Brooklyn, NYC summer jams of all time.
The Black Eyed Peas - Like That featuring Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo, John Legend
Once upon a time, The Black Eyed Peas actually made pretty solid hip-hop music. One of their biggest hip-hop tunes was "Like That" featuring an all-star cast of musicians. No cheesy pop hooks here; this is rap music.
Talib Kweli - I Try featuring Mary J. Blige
Talib Kweli linked up with Mary J. Blige for this soulful cut off 2004's The Beautiful Struggle. Talib definitely goes in on this one for real.
"Yo, it's all ghetto in gear higher than falsetto
More metal for beef that we don't let the law settle
I try to navigate the treacherous waters of
America's ghettos that set up to slaughter us
But there's more of us
Although we speak in different languages
We all pretty familiar with what anger is
Young and dangerous, trigger stranglers
Get up on some gangsta shit
Guns to bang ya wit'
And we put it on records to entertain ya wit'"
Talib Kweli - Everything Man [Prod. Madlib]
Kweli and Madlib linked up for a few choice cuts off 2007's Eardrum. One of the most spirited cuts was the opening track, "Everything Man," where Kweli spits more than enough inspiration to lift your soul.
"I believe, no scratch that I know, this ain't my full potential
Only usin' 10 percent of my mental on instrumentals"
Reflection Eternal - The Blast
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek form to make Reflection Eternal. Their debut LP came in 2000 after Hi-Tek produced much of Black Star's album. Check out "The Blast" below.
Talib Kweli - The Nature featuring Justin Timberlake
Adam Deitch (Lettuce, Break Science) and Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Soulive) are a couple of Brooklynites who make incredilbe funk music with their respective bands, but also some insane beats. They really created a funky masterpiece with "The Nature," and the tag-team of JT and Talib Kweli makes this track unstoppable.
Talib Kweli - Soon The New Day featuring Norah Jones
Another Madlib cut off Eardrum. This one features Norah Jones' contributions as a super-sexy, sultry songstress.
Talib Kweli - Guerilla Monsoon Rap featuring Pharoah Monch & Black Thought [...and Kanye West too for that matter]
Kanye West doesn't get listed as a feature despite delivering the hook...that's so 2002 isn't it? He does get producer credit, and as Pharoah Monch, The Roots' Black Thought and Talib Kweli murder the verses, you can picture an excited Kanye bobbin' his head behind the mixing console.