Talib Kweli Greene hails from the planet of Brooklyn in NYC. Brooklyn has been the home of many accomplished MC’s. In the 80’s there was Big Daddy Kane and in the 90’s we witnessed the coming of Biggie and Jay Z. Now with almost three years under the worldly belt into the new millennium, Brooklyn, has given us the newest wave of pure lyricists. Cats like of Mos Def and the Hip-Hop spirited Talib Kweli are the wave of the future in Hip-Hop. Since 1994 Talib has been spittin’ flames so complex that many a rapper dare not listen to his flow for fear of positive change. Change is good.
The story begins like this. Talib was born to two parents who were educators and his name is an Arabic translation, which means “student of truth.” Kweli admittedly says, “I wasn’t one of the cool kids. Hip-Hop became a way for me to write and be cool; it gave me a language to speak to my peers.” And spoke he has. When Kweli and Mos Def teamed up and released 1998’s classic, Talib Kweli and Mos Def Are Black Star. The Hip-Hop world was stuck on shookness. Here were two wickedly lyrical animals that came through the set spittin’ not only street flames but consciousness heat as well and the praises were given to them by the masses. Not only was Kweli talking the talk but also he was walking it. Along with releasing one of the finest albums of the decade as far as reality was concerned, he and Mos also purchased Brooklyn’s oldest Black-owned bookstore. The Nikiru Bookstore was in a bad economic situation when they came to the rescue and transformed the store into the Nikiru Center for Education & Culture. Now that’s bigger than any car, platinum piece or fat ass you can get. Take notes kiddies.
Now with the release of his solo debut, Kweli is set to blaze the public with nothing more or nothing less than hot truthful music. Kweli is a man of little words when one is speaking to him. Or maybe he was just drained from a hectic interview schedule. Either way, that’s probably why his words on wax are so compelling. Now let’s not get confused about this brother. Even though Kweli reeks elements of a strong positive Black man, he can and will throw the craziest street lip game darts at you if his skills are tested on the level of bragging rights. About his anticipated release Quality, Kweli says, “I feel like I’ve done what I wanted to do with this album. I wanted to put out a solid album and I did that.” So what or who inspires a monster like Kweli when it comes to his notes? “Man everything inspires me, life, music, other artists like Black Thought, Scarface, Nas and Jay-Z. I think the situation of Hip-Hop is great right now.” Great it is, but what about the flossin’? Does Kweli think it’s too much? “Nah, what I do think is that the media as well as the industry is over saturated with flossin’ but Hip-Hop is deeper than that and that’s not how I see Hip-Hop. I’m just focusing on the music cause that’s what it’s all about.”
When a man has done as much as Kweli has done for the culture of Hip-Hop in such a short time what more can he do? ” I feel that I can always get better at everything I do. Just getting better at living life is something I work on. I feel everyone can get better at anything they do. Right now I’m just really focusing on the music that’s what’s important to me. As a resource Hip-Hop has been greater than any music we have. The possibilities for what we can do in our communities, for people’s self esteem or their economic situation is what is so exciting. It’s beautiful that I can use this resource, sell records and still be Talib Kweli, I’m so into just being myself and doing what I love to do. I love doing my own thing.”
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Kweli will probably be remembered, as one of the finest MC’s to ever touch a mic in the years to come. There will be no need for justifying his presence in Hip-Hop. He is a needed soldier who is constantly raising the eyebrows of his peers as well as the public. Through it all Kweli remains focused and internally connected to the culture which has been an outlet for so many of us who yearn for a platform to express our feelings about our lives and daily situations.
Finally Talib states his feelings on the title of his release. “Quality is about me growing as a man and as an artist and continuing what I’ve been known to always do. I will never do a record without some sense of responsibility. Even if you don’t agree with what I have to say, even if I’m speaking something that’s not relevant to your life you’ll still be able to appreciate it. Appreciate it we do. Talib truly exemplifies the meaning of quality over quantity. Kweli is simply Kweli and that’s the true thoroughness and reality of his persona. Keep doing it your way Kweli and we will support the movement completely. Nuff said.
