Talib Kweli
Background information
Birth name	Talib Kweli Greene
Born	October 3, 1975 (1975-10-03) (age 32)
Origin	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre(s)	Hip-hop
Years active	1997–present
Label(s)	Rawkus Records Geffen Blacksmith Records / Warner Bros. Records (2005-Present)
Associated acts	Black Star Reflection Eternal DJ Hi-Tek Kanye West Mos Def Idle Warship
Website	TalibKweli.com

Talib Kweli Greene (born October 3, 1975), better known as Talib Kweli, is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker"; his middle name in Swahili means "true". Kweli first gained recognition through Black Star, a collaboration with fellow MC Mos Def. Kweli has two children. His younger brother, Jamal Greene, a Professor at Columbia Law School, graduated from Yale Law School and served as a law clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice John Paul Stevens during the 2006 Term. Kweli has supported the "Black August Benefit Concert" since its inception, and performs at the show consistently every year. official publicity photo, upped as fair use This work is copyrighted. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the New York City borough, or Kings County, New York. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... See also: 1997 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1997 Record labels established in 1997 // January 9 - David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden, with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Rawkus Records is an American hip hop record label, known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. ... Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... Blacksmith Records is a record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. ... Warner Bros. ... Black Star is an alternative hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. ... Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. ... Former DJ of hiphop-duo Reflection Eternal (together with rapper Talib Kweli ). In 2001, they released one album Train of Thought (2001) on Rawkus Records, later that Year Hi-Tek released his solo-album HiTeknology which featured many artists, including Mos Def , Vinia Mojica , Buckshot and others. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑnjɛj/) (born June 8, 1977) is an American record producer and rapper who rose to fame in the mid 2000s. ... Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper and actor. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... MasterCard logo Manchaster Town Hall MC can mean: Mini Cooper: Macao: FIPS PUB 10-4 territory code Machine, (also m/c) Manchester, England (also m/c) Mariah Carey, American songstress Marginal cost Marin Catholic Master cylinder Master of Ceremonies Rapper (also emcee), or a prefix for the names of rappers... This article is about the New York City borough, or Kings County, New York. ... This article is about the state. ... Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways. ... Arabic redirects here. ... This article is about the language. ... Black Star is an alternative hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. ... Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper and actor. ... Columbia Law School, located in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is one of the professional schools of Columbia University, a member of the Ivy League, and one of the leading law schools in the United States. ... The Sterling Law Building Sculptural ornamentation on the Sterling Law Building Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is currently the most senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

Biography

Early Life

Born in Brooklyn, Kweli grew up in a highly educated household. His mother is an English professor and his father a sociology professor. As a youth, he was drawn to Afrocentric rappers, such as De La Soul and other members of the Native Tongues Posse and Gall whom he had met in high school. Talib Kweli was a student at Cheshire Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut. He later studied experimental theater at New York University (NYU). ^[1] English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, India, South Africa, and the Middle East, among other areas), English linguistics (including English phonetics, phonology... Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge [1]) is the systematic and scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social action, and culture[2]. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous... see African studies for the study of African culture and history in Africa. ... De La Soul is a Grammy-award winning hip hop group from Long Island, New York. ... The Native Tongues Posse is a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good naturedly-Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and later jazz-influenced beats. ... Kalanchoë infected with crown-gall using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ...

Early Career (1997-2001)

Kweli made his professional debut in 1997, with an appearance on "Doom," an album by Cincinnati, Ohio group, Mood (Main Flow, Donte, Jahson). In Cincinnati, Kweli also met DJ Hi-Tek and the two collaborated on a few well received underground recordings as Reflection Eternal. Shortly afterwards, upon returning to New York, he reconnected with Mos Def and formed Black Star. Kweli brought along Hi-Tek to produce their first and only album, 1998's Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The album, released amidst a late '90s renaissance of conscious, Afrocentric hip hop, was immediately hailed by critics and achieved modest mainstream success. When Kweli and Mos Def parted ways shortly thereafter, Kweli and Hi-Tek continued their Reflection Eternal partnership on the 2000 album Train of Thought, which was likewise met with critical acclaim, but modest sales. Doom is the 1997 debut album of hip hop group Mood. ... Mood is a hip hop group based in Cincinnati, Ohio, composed of rappers Main Flow, Donte, and producer Jahson. ... Former DJ of hiphop-duo Reflection Eternal (together with rapper Talib Kweli ). In 2001, they released one album Train of Thought (2001) on Rawkus Records, later that Year Hi-Tek released his solo-album HiTeknology which featured many artists, including Mos Def , Vinia Mojica , Buckshot and others. ... Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. ... Black Star is an alternative hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Black Star is the self-titled debut by the pairing of rappers Talib Kweli and Mos Def. ... Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop duet composed of rapper Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. ...

Start of Solo Career (2002-2003)

Following Train of Thought, Kweli and Hi-Tek split as well, and Kweli used his first truly solo debut to attempt a move toward a more mainstream sound. 2002's Quality, accomplished this goal to some extent, featuring production by a host of different producers, including DJ Quik and Kanye West. The album was met with wide spread critical acclaim and received some mainstream attention thanks to the West-produced single "Get By." Also see: 2002 (number). ... Quality is rapper Talib Kwelis second album. ... David Martin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known as by his stage name DJ Quik, or as of 2007 simply Quik, is a West Coast rapper and record producer from Compton, California. ... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kɑnjɛj/) (born June 8, 1977) is an American record producer and rapper who rose to fame in the mid 2000s. ...

Rise in Cultural Popularity

In 2004, Talib Kweli, along with Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels, supported the Beastie Boys on their "Challah At Your Boy World Tour," participated in a photo shoot by the renowned fashion/celebrity photographer Ben Fink Shaprio, and appeared in a few Dilated Peoples songs, including a live remix later featured on the video game NBA Street Vol. 2. The Beastie Boys are a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... Dilated Peoples is an underground hip hop group residing in California. ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... NBA Street Vol. ...

Kweli has used television appearances extensively to increase visibility, notably on MTV's Wild 'N Out, and several performances on Chappelle's Show with long-time collaborator Mos Def; these performances were a product of host Chappelle's friendship with Kweli. Chappelle in turn participated in a number of skits on Kweli's albums "Train of Thought" and "Quality"- impersonating several people including Nelson Mandela. Kweli also had a guest spot on West's widely successful debut album The College Dropout on the track "Get 'Em High". West has produced some of Kweli's songs, including his biggest commercial hit "Get By". Kweli can be seen in a commercial for the NCAA's Big Ten Conference, rapping about the league's basketball teams.^[2] He also provided the voice of the protagonist in the graffiti-themed video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, released in 2006.^[3] This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... Nick Cannon Presents Wild N Out is a show on MTV starring Nick Cannon. ... For other people named Mandela, or other uses, see Mandela. ... Singles from The College Dropout Released: September 30, 2003 Released: February 24, 2004 Released: May 25, 2004 Released: Aug 31, 2004 The College Dropout is the debut album by rapper Kanye West, released in 2004. ... NCAA redirects here. ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ... This article is about the sport. ...

Talib and fellow rapper artist Mos Def purchased Nkiru, which is Brooklyn's oldest black-owned bookstore, and converted it into the Nkiru Center for Education and Culture.^[4][5] Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper and actor. ... Nkiru Books is the oldest African-American bookstore in Brooklyn, New York City, USA. Founded by Leothy Miller Owens in 1976, the bookstore was bought by Talib Kweli and Mos Def in 2000. ... Nkiru Books is the oldest African-American bookstore in Brooklyn, New York City, USA. Founded by Leothy Miller Owens in 1976, the bookstore was bought by Talib Kweli and Mos Def in 2000. ...

Kweli's stature continued to grow, particularly fueled by a line from Jay-Z's 2003 record, The Black Album: "If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli." Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Singles from The Black Album Released: November 11, 2003 Released: January 13, 2004 Released: April 13, 2004 The Black Album is a 2003 hip hop music album by rapper Jay-Z. It was supposedly his last studio album until Jay-Z announced a return to solo recording in 2006. ...

Middle Career (2004-2006)

In 2004, he released his second solo album and final Rawkus release, The Beautiful Struggle. The album featured much more commercial production, and although Kweli's lyrics retained their socio-political content, he affected a somewhat harder persona. The album failed to cross over into the mainstream and suffered a critical backlash. The Beautiful Struggle is an album by American rapper Talib Kweli. ...

In 2005, Kweli released a MixCD off of his newly formed Blacksmith Records. The project was called Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD, a title which is considered likely a response to the criticism of The Beautiful Struggle. Blacksmith Records is a record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. ... The Beautiful Struggle is an album by American rapper Talib Kweli. ...

On Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD, Talib Kweli sampled Ben Kweller's "In Other Words" for his own song "Ms. Hill". In part 7 of Kweller's video podcast series "One Minute Pop Song," Kweller said he found Kweli's use of the song "a little fucked up" due to the fact that it was sampled without permission. Link to episode Ben Kweller (born 16 June 1981, San Francisco, California) is an American rock musician. ...

Recent Career (2007-2008)

On December 31, 2006, Kweli released nine songs he recorded with acclaimed underground producer Madlib for free download in conjunction with the web site for Stones Throw Records, the label to which Madlib is signed. The album was entitled Liberation, of which Talib later was quoted by XXL magazine as stating releasing the album was liberating to him; "The idea that I could put out an album like that: record it in my house, put it out for free and get that type of response."^[6] The album was in 2007 made for sale as a retail item. is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the word game, see Mad Libs. ... Stones Throw Records is a California-based hip hop independent record label. ... Look up Liberation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

For his newest release, Kweli formed his own record label, Blacksmith Records, and has recently signed acclaimed rapper Jean Grae and the group Strong Arm Steady. He also signed a new distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records for Blacksmith Records. His latest solo album is called Eardrum and was released on Aug 21, 2007. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. The first single was Listen!!!.^[6] Blacksmith Records is a record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. ... Jean Grae (formerly What? What?; real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is an American hip hop artist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Warner Bros. ... Alternate cover Ear Drum is the third solo album from American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... Listen!!! is the first single from Talib Kwelis upcoming album Eardrum. ...

Kweli embarked on a national Australian tour in October, 2007. In 2007, a bootleg import CD containing rare and collaborative songs was released entitled Focus. Recently Talib has joined MTV's hit show MADE and filmed an episode in the small town of Arlington, Massachusetts, as well as SMT Studios in New York City. He was the coach of Colin Colt, a young man who wanted to be made into a rap star. Look up Made in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1635 Incorporated 1807 Government  - Type Representative town meeting  - Town Manager Brian Sullivan  - Board of    Selectmen Kevin F. Greeley Annie LaCourt Diane Mahon Clarissa Rowe John W. Hurd Area  - Town  5. ...

On April 23, 2008 Kweli will be playing a show in Madison, WI, as part of The Badger Blowout Concert, a music-infused event of the All-Campus Party. It offers University of Wisconsin-Madison students a cost-free opportunity to see a National recording artist in an effort to unite the campus community and celebrate the University of Wisconsin-Madison spirit.

Future projects (2008 and beyond)

On a New Year's blog Talib Kweli confirmed that he has 3 albums planned for 2008: Prisoner of Conscious, a second Reflection Eternal album, and Party Robot. In the blog, Kweli also confirmed that he will be working on new albums for Strong Arm Steady, Jean Grae, and Dion. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Jean Grae (formerly What? What?; real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is an American hip hop artist. ... Dion is a singer, songwriter, and protege of producer Hi-Tek. ...

Kweli confirmed in a recent interview with VIBE magazine that the title of his next album will be Prisoner of Conscious, a title derived from Talib's constant labeling as a "conscious rapper".^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Vibe. ... Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop which focuses on social issues. ...

Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek have both said they are recording a second Reflection Eternal album which will be a follow-up to Train of Thought.^[7][8] Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop duet composed of rapper Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. ...

In March of 2008, Kweli was featured on the 9th Wonder and Buckshot track "Hold It Down". For the comic-book series based on the Heroes television series, see 9th Wonders!. 9th Wonder (born Patrick Douthit, January 15, 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is a Hiphop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.. He began his career as the main producer for the Hip-hop group... Boot Camp Clik is a hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York. ...

Talib is currently recording a collaborative album titled Party Robot with R&B singer Res under the group alias Idle Warship. They have released one song, "Industry Diary" from the upcoming project. Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... RES can refer to: a bimonthly media lifestyle magazine, see RES (magazine) a digital short film festival run by the magazine, see RESFest the R&B singer, Res (singer) See also: Renewable energy (sources) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the...

Discography

Main article: Talib Kweli discography

• Black Star (1998, as Black Star, with Mos Def)
• Train of Thought (2000, as Reflection Eternal, with Hi-Tek)
• Quality (2002)
• The Beautiful Struggle (2004)
• Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD (2005)
• Liberation (2006, with Madlib)
• Eardrum (2007)
• Party Robot (album)|Idle Warship]] (2009, as Idle Warship (hip hop group), with Res)

This is the discography of Talib Kweli, an American rapper. ... Black Star is the self-titled debut by the pairing of rappers Talib Kweli and Mos Def. ... Black Star is an alternative hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. ... Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper and actor. ... Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop duet composed of rapper Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. ... Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. ... Hi-Tek is an American Rawkus Records alternative hip hop artist from Cincinnati. ... Quality is rapper Talib Kwelis second album. ... The Beautiful Struggle is an album by American rapper Talib Kweli. ... Liberation is a collaboration between MC Talib Kweli and producer Madlib. ... For the word game, see Mad Libs. ... Eardrum is an upcoming album by American rapper Talib Kweli. ... RES can refer to: a bimonthly media lifestyle magazine, see RES (magazine) a digital short film festival run by the magazine, see RESFest the R&B singer, Res (singer) See also: Renewable energy (sources) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the...

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Talib Kweli

• Talib Kweli - Official site (requires Flash)
• Talib Kweli - Official blog
• Talib Kweli Biography
• Synthesis.net interview
• Synthesis.net interview from 2002
• Talib Kweli - Myspace page
• Talib Kweli - Official Message Board
• Talib Kweli - Official Video Channel
• Talib Kweli - Black Planet page
• Talib Kweli - Interview by XXLmag.com
• Talib Kweli interview at britishhiphop.co.uk
• Talib Kweli on AbsolutePunk.net
• Talib Kweli at Rolling Stone
• Talib Kweli - Interview @ Formatmag.com
• Tiny Mix Tapes on Kweli's Ear Drum
• Real Detroit Weekly Interview
• Video Interview from Scion