| Talib Kweli | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Talib Kweli Greene |
| Also known as | BK MC, Mr. International, MCEO, Kwe |
| Born | October 3, 1975 |
| Origin |  Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop, Alternative 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. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways Events January January 9 - David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music 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 operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Blacksmith Records is a Record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Black Star is a rap 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. Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American Rapper and Record producer from Cincinnati Ohio. Kanye Omari West (ˈkɑnjɛj born June 8 1977 is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning American Rapper, Record producer and Singer. Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American MC and Actor. Idle Warship is a musical trio comprised of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli, Philadelphia singer Res, and Canadian singer/rapper Graph Nobel. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop. Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker"; his middle name in Swahili means "true". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself is the First language of the Swahili people (Waswahili who inhabit several large stretches Kweli first gained recognition through Black Star, a collaboration with fellow MC Mos Def. Black Star is a rap 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 MC and Actor. Kweli has two children. Kweli has supported the "Black August Benefit Concert" since its inception, and performs at the show consistently every year.
Contents |
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. English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of Literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" 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. Afrocentrism or Afrocentricity is a World view that emphasizes the importance of African people in culture philosophy and history De La Soul is a Grammy Award-winning hip hop group They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky surreal lyrics and their contributions to the evolution The Native Tongues is a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded good-naturedly Afrocentric lyrics and for pioneering Galls or plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of Plant tissues and can be caused by various Parasites from Fungi and bacteria, to Insects Talib Kweli was a student at Cheshire Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut. He later studied experimental theater at New York University (NYU). New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. [1]
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). Doom is the 1997 debut album of hip hop group Mood. It features production by DJ Hi-Tek and guest appearances by Talib Kweli and Sunz of Man Mood is a Hip hop group based in Cincinnati Ohio, composed of rappers Main Flow Donte and producer Jahson In Cincinnati, Kweli also met DJ Hi-Tek and the two collaborated on a few well received underground recordings as Reflection Eternal. Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American Rapper and Record producer from Cincinnati Ohio. Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. Shortly afterwards, upon returning to New York, he reconnected with Mos Def and formed Black Star. Black Star is a rap group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Kweli brought along Hi-Tek to produce their first and only album, 1998's Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. 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. 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. Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop Duo composed of rapper Talib Kweli &
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. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Quality is rapper Talib Kweli 's first solo album It was released on November 19, 2002 under Rawkus Records. David Martin Blake (born January 18, 1970 in Compton, California) better known by his Stage name DJ Quik, is a Rapper Kanye Omari West (ˈkɑnjɛj born June 8 1977 is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning American Rapper, Record producer and Singer. The album was met with wide spread critical acclaim and received some mainstream attention thanks to the West-produced single "Get By. "
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 amateur 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. 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 2 is a Sequel of NBA Street and a prequel of NBA Street V3.
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. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Nick Cannon Presents Wild 'n Out is a show on MTV starring Nick Cannon. Chappelle in turn participated in a number of skits on Kweli's albums "Train of Thought" and "Quality"- impersonating several people including Nelson Mandela. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative Kweli also had a guest spot on Kanye West's widely successful debut album The College Dropout on the track "Get 'Em High". Kanye Omari West (ˈkɑnjɛj born June 8 1977 is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning American Rapper, Record producer and Singer. The College Dropout is the debut album by Rapper and producer Kanye West, released February 10 2004 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. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m [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. Marc Eckō's Getting Up Contents Under Pressure is a Video game released on February 14, 2006. [3]
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. Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American MC and Actor. Nkiru Books is the oldest African-American Bookstore in Brooklyn, New York City, USA. Nkiru Books is the oldest African-American Bookstore in Brooklyn, New York City, USA. [4][5]
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. Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4 1969 better known as Jay-Z, is an American Rapper and former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Black Album is a 2003 Hip hop album by rapper Jay-Z. It was promoted as his final studio album although Jay-Z subsequently announced a return "
Middle career (2004-2006)
In 2004, he released his second solo album and final Rawkus release, The Beautiful Struggle. The Beautiful Struggle is the second solo album by American rapper Talib Kweli. 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.
In 2005, Kweli released a Mixtape-CD off of his newly formed Blacksmith Records. Blacksmith Records is a Record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. 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. The Beautiful Struggle is the second solo 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. Ben Kweller (born 16 June 1981, San Francisco, California) is an American rock Musician. 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
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. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Madlib ( M ind A ltering D emented L essons I n B eats (born Otis Jackson Jr Stones Throw Records is an independent hip hop Record label based in California. 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.
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. Blacksmith Records is a Record label headed by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. Jean Grae (real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is a hip hop Artist from New York. He also signed a new distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records for Blacksmith Records. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. His latest solo album is called Eardrum and was released on Aug 21, 2007. Eardrum is the third solo album from American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard The first single was Listen!!!. "Listen!!!" is the first single from Talib Kweli 's album Eardrum. [6]
Kweli embarked on a national Australian tour in October, 2007. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 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. Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles (10 km northwest of Boston. He was the coach of Colin Colt, a young man who wanted to be made into a rap star.
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. Jean Grae (real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is a hip hop Artist from New York. Dion Jenkins 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". Vibe is a Magazine, launched 1993 by founder Quincy Jones and funded by Time Inc Conscious hip hop or socially conscious hip-hop is a form of Hip hop that 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. Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop Duo composed of rapper Talib Kweli & [7][8]
In March of 2008, Kweli was featured on the 9th Wonder and Buckshot track "Hold It Down". Patrick Douthit (born January 15, 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) better known as 9th Wonder is a Hip hop Buckshot (born Kenyatta Blake in Brooklyn, New York) is an underground rapper famous as the leader of Hip Hop group Boot Camp Clik
Talib is currently recording a collaborative album titled Party Robot with R&B singer Res under the group alias Idle Warship. Shareese Renée Ballard, better known as Res (ˈriːs reese) is a female Rock / R&B singer from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Idle Warship is a musical trio comprised of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli, Philadelphia singer Res, and Canadian singer/rapper Graph Nobel. They have released one song, "Industry Diary" from the upcoming project.
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 (2009, as Idle Warship, with Res)
- Prisoner of Consciousness (TBA)
References
- ^ Talib Kweli Biography - Discography, Music, Lyrics, Album, CD, Career, Famous Works, and Awards
- ^ Power Rankings: Michigan St. Spartans (11-2). This is the discography of Talib Kweli, an American Rapper. Solo albums Quality Released Black Star is the self-titled debut by the pairing of rappers Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Black Star is a rap 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 MC and Actor. Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop Duo composed of rapper Talib Kweli & Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed by rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American Rapper and Record producer from Cincinnati Ohio. Quality is rapper Talib Kweli 's first solo album It was released on November 19, 2002 under Rawkus Records. The Beautiful Struggle is the second solo album by American rapper Talib Kweli. Liberation is a collaboration between Talib Kweli ( rapper) and Madlib ( producer) Madlib ( M ind A ltering D emented L essons I n B eats (born Otis Jackson Jr Eardrum is the third solo album from American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. Party Robot is the upcoming album by the Hip-Hop/R&B group Idle Warship, made up of emcee Talib Kweli and singer Res. Idle Warship is a musical trio comprised of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli, Philadelphia singer Res, and Canadian singer/rapper Graph Nobel. Shareese Renée Ballard, better known as Res (ˈriːs reese) is a female Rock / R&B singer from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Sports Illustrated (January 6, 2006).
- ^ "Review:Graffiti game fresh and fun", CNN, February 24, 2006.
- ^ Acclaimed Hip-Hop Artist Talib Kweli Named Black History Month Keynote Speaker at Holy Cross. Holy Cross College (February 1, 2005).
- ^ HPD - Homebuyers - New York City Neighborhoods - Prospect heights, Brooklyn. The City of New York: Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
- ^ a b Big Dog Status by Thomas Golianopoulos. XXL Magazine. January 2008. Page 82.
- ^ Talib Kweli Playing It By Ear; Says New Reflection Eternal LP Is In Motion. hiphop-elements. com (September 28, 2007).
- ^ Talib Kweli Confirms Reflection Eternal Reunion Album | Hip Hop News > HipHopDX.com
External links
- 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
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