Talib Kweli – Live

I recently caught Talib Kweli and Jean Grae live at  The Forum. This was my first live Hip Hop gig in some time so I was waiting in eager anticipation. I was anxious to get there in time and felt relieved when I found a local support act warming up the audience. It was close to 10pm by this stage so I assumed Kweli would be starting shortly. I was wrong. Jean Grae came out soon after the Australian Act and provided a contrasted set starting out with soulful, laid back hip hop jams before proceeding to a high intensity delivery of her harsh Street style. Make no mistake, Jean Grae is a strong feminine force in modern Hip Hop and well worth the double billing with Kweli.

Shortly after Grae’s set Kweli busted out onto the stage with Grae accompanying his opening tracks. He moved with energy and confidence as his rapid-fire mic assault began. The occasional ping of feedback seemed to irritate the energetic wordsmith but once rectified the flow of the performance was unstoppable. His mouth moves so fast the words are almost indecipherable but that was to be expected with his high-speed live delivery. The set list was diverse with old and new tracks and included verses from some of his collaborative recordings such as “Definition” with Mos Def and Kanye’s “Get ‘Em High”. The highlight of the performance was always going to be “Get By” as the soulful tune had the entire room bouncing to the beat, truly infectious.

Shortly after Kweli left the stage before coming out again for an inevitable encore. The performance had been so engaging and physical, I had been dancing for the whole 2 hours and was amazed the Kweli was still going. In typical unique style instead of concluding the performance and declaring that he “loved” Sydney and departing, Kweli casually invited audience members from the front row up to the stage for a dance. So with 50 adoring fans on stage Kweli hosted a mini dance party with his DJ spinning hip hop classics including Biggie and Snoop whilst casually dropping a verse in between posing for photos with fans. The distinction between Performer and Fans was effortlessly blurred as all people and lovers of hip hop danced the night away. Simply the best end to a concert I have ever seen.

Get the aforementioned collaborative tracks with Mos and Kanye as a bonus.

Definition – Talib Kweli & Mos Def

Get Em High – Kanye West (Feat Talib Kweli & Common)

Talib Kweli is Quality

Talib Kweli is Quality. He is easily my favorite hip hop artist, and has been for some time. I don’t even really remember how I got into him, probably cruising around Kanye’s wiki page when I noticed him alongside Jay-Z in West’s production credits. I pursued the hyperlinks and then got myself a sample, I was not disappointed.

For me Kweli’s delivery and style is the complete product of contemporary, sophisticated hip hop. He lays down each vocal track with extreme precision busting out relentless tides of lyrics. The articulation and rhyme of each line is meticulous and Kweli’s impeccable timing leaves his voice often sounding like a percussive high-hat. Kweli’s sound demonstrates great depth and distinguishes him amongst his peers Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco for his diversity. His lyrics effortlessly shift across themes and styles from social inequality, contemporary life in Brooklyn, the power of the individual and beautiful women. The product is soulful, emotive, thought-provoking and technically impressive. Most importantly it is always a lot of fun.

Below are two of my favorite Kweli tracks, both from his debut record Quality and both produced by Kanye. First is the track “Good to You”. It samples a pitched-up soul vocal track typical of West’s production style and exemplifies Kweli’s strength in delivery without being aggressive and overtly “Gansta”. Next is the quintessential track “Get By”, a social commentary on desperate urban life that perfectly summarises Kweli’s depth and ability. The track samples a nice Nina Simone piano hook (thank you again Kanye) and the slower tempo contrasts nicely with the previous track. Shaking one’s booty whilst singing along to the chorus is impossible to avoid. Really, give it a go. The remix featuring Mos Def, Jay-Z, Kanye, and Busta Rhymes is a quality collaboration congruent with the original and demonstrates the high-esteem Kweli is held in by his contemporaries. This song is probably in my all time top 5, I really do love it that much.

Get in to some gooood quality hip hop. It will make you feel less white.

Good to You – Talib Kweli

Get By – Talib Kweli

Get By (Remix) – Talib Kweli