You can more or less tell what Talib Kweli thinks a certain segment of his fans expect from him by the fact that he’s tentatively named his upcoming album, Prisoner of Consciousness. Things came to a head this summer when some fans criticized Kweli for a Gucci Mane collaboration. And while Kweli gets praise from some critics for thought provoking subject matter, he says he has an appreciation for the various new sub-genres arriving on the scene.
“I think the biggest difference from when I came in the game is the lyrics,” “You have younger artists who are about lyrics, but it’s not so much steeped in the culture like it was when I was coming up. Whether it’s Hip Hop culture or Black Nationalist culture, gangsterism is kind of fading out. It’s not something that’s extra, extra deep. It’s more about the music.
In addition to mentioning his mentoring of Bow Wow, Kweli says he appreciates newer artists like Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj and Drake. And that approach allows him to take a philosophical outlook on everyone from Soulja Boy to Blu—especially when it comes to collaborations.
“Blu I knew about, but Joell [Ortiz] I asked about,” Kweli said, in reference to his “Hostile Gospel” remix 
. “I sense when an emcee can mesh well with my style.”
While he also expressed his respect for artists who probably wouldn’t mesh well with his style, Kweli points to one artist as the link between himself, the Golden Era and Pop chart mainstays like Soulja Boy.
“In a Hip Hop sense, [Kanye West] is a conduit,” he said. “I learned a lot from Premier, Pete Rock and Q-Tip. And then Kanye learned a lot from me Common, The Roots and Mos Def.”
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Man… I just saw Kweli perform at the DJ Quik concert in Hollywood this past saturday. I was mad embarrasing cus all these kids did not know his songs. The whole crowd was silent the whole show and it was really weird, like they barly moved to The Blast. Kweli did a new song and was trynna sing and it really got bad then. dont know wat to say but hip hop aint what it used to be. it was proly more regional than age cus quik is old himself.
How could you not move to The Blast?That bass line is ridiculous. Kids nowadays only know that synthesized 808 bass. They can’t feel a real production of HI-Tek’s quality.
I’m probably, like, one of the 5% of students in my school who know who Talib Kweli is, or even knows any of his songs. Most kids in my song listen to Brick Sqaud or Young Money religiously.
jhunt- keep up listenin to talib.. not alotta young bucks nowadays listen to real lyrics..
Forgot to add, but when Tooted and Booted came on the whole crowd lit like a fire cracker the whole song! Go fig.
““In a Hip Hop sense, [Kanye West] is a conduit,†he said. “I learned a lot from Premier, Pete Rock and Q-Tip. And then Kanye learned a lot from me Common, The Roots and Mos Def.—
That is the truth. If anything Kanye & Talib, I bet, was the link between Jay-Z and Dead Prez.
Seems like every top rapper (Nas, Kweli, Eminem) likes this garbage young money…. smh….. cant wait for Talib to drop his album, gonna match up with Cole World and Detox…. but not Lasers
Ay. Nigga STFU u know nothing about hip hop u just a hating ass bloodsucker… Young money is fire cuz they rhymes are nice, and everyone from nas, em, and kweli can see that, but the Hate (or should i say BITCH) in you is to thick to see that.
STOP the HATE and appreciate good music BITCH.
BTW I fucks with kweli, common, ATQ, and all other conscience hiphop artist. but i also fucks with Young Money, dipset and the new age of hip hop cuz i understand where they coming from.
lol Young Money is wack as hell.
There is no changing that you can like them all you want and thats cool. Let them get they paper BUT the fact will never change that they wack and can never step to any of the great artists who say that they are okay.
I think a lot of the conscious rappers you named have a respect for young money because they’re relevant and found a lane for themselves. I highly doubt when Talib gets in his car he’s throwing in the new Drake cd.
I have respect for YM, but I don’t particularly like much of their music.
Like Com said: “If I don’t like it, I don’t like it, that don’t mean that I’m hating.”
gutter rainbows?
gayest album title i seen in years. talib is a fuckin chump, one of the blandest emcees to ever walk the earth. weak voice, poor breath control, but he burns organic candles, so faggots love him. hence gutter rainbows project. mos def on crack will always be better than kwe, this nigga been done.
Glad somebody finally said it…This cat has one flow…but he can pick out dope beats..Just a one trick emcee…Only like him on collabos..
cant believe so many peeps hatin on talib.. dude is a dope ass MC and mad respected by all the heavyweights in the game.. i just hope he keeps commin to summerfest here in milwaukee every year and rockin the show (me and my guys had him tryin to b-boy on stage a few years back.. one of the dopest concert moments of my life so far)