When a hip-hop artists new album gets bootlegged heavily before it is finished, waiting for the public’s reaction is the last thing they want to do. “I’m still upset”, Talib Kweli said about his new album “The Beautiful Struggle” being downloaded online a few weeks ago. In a letter to his fans he wrote about the effects that the anonymous person who leaked the album has caused. I wrote that the dude was a loser — which I still feel,” Kweli told MTV. “I wrote that he’s going to be dealt with — which I still feel. I just wrote that it’s sad and depressing that I put all this work into this and now I have to change everything that I was going to do.”
Because of the leak, Kweli is heading back into the studio to make changes to certain songs. With producers such as Kanye West, Hi-Tek and Midi Mafia, it seems he is looking to keep the vibe of his 2002 album “Quality”. “There’s always been an agenda or focus to [my music] where I felt like I had to prove something or felt like I had to showcase my lyricism or how I could sound on this beat,” he said.” For The Beautiful Struggle, I wanted the music and beats to lead where I wanted to go, too.”
As far as any rumors about him signing to the ROC-A-Fella label, Kweli said, “My label situation as of right now is pretty straight — I’m on Geffen. I got so much respect for Damon Dash. Roc-A-Fella has definitely moved me as a rapper, a young person and a black man. So I look forward to doing something with them in the future”. “Beautiful Struggle” is slated for release June 22.
