2008 Woodie Awards
Kweli Tries New Musical Style
Jennifer Laster
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Talib Kweli, one of Brooklyn's headlining "conscious" emcees, has returned on his fifth in-studio album, The Beautiful Struggle. Before the buyer has a chance to unwrap the CD, the cover boasts production from power producers Kanye West, Just Blaze and The Neptunes, which made me question what type of listener he's gearing this project to. Has Kweli abandoned underground hip-hop loyalists for a more mainstream fan base? It's hard not to question his intent, but knowing his work, he always aims to please.
The public was first introduced to this prolific rapper on his debut album with like-minded cohort, Mos Def, founding the duo Black Star. Their album gained critical attention from hip-hop enthusiasts and the two brought something new to the rap game that was very reminiscent of earlier artists like De La Soul, Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest, forging socially conscious hip-hop to the top of music charts. The Beautiful Struggle is an attempt to finally give Kweli the notoriety he deserves in the ever-shifting dynamics of hip-hop culture. This summer however, fans were able to hear a different side of this esteemed emcee with the prequel to his upcoming album, The Beautiful Struggle Mix Tape. Here, Kweli spits alongside G-Unit's Game, Styles P, Fabulous and a host of others. After his appearance on Kanye West's landmark, The College Dropout steners could see he was mingling outside of the realm of "backpack rap," allowing him a wider and more diversified audience who might not have checked for him before.
So how does The Beautiful Struggle measure up to his previous work? Well, Kweli remains focused by articulating well-thought lyrics and never falls short in delivering punch lines that will make you rewind your CD to catch the meaning; that's the beautiful side. The struggle comes with tracks that are poorly produced. A leading example is "We Got the Beat" featuring R&B artist Res. This song is a fusion of Afrika Bamataa's "Planet Rock" and the Go-Go's original title "We Got the Beat." These two 80's anthems should never come together on one record; surely, there were good intentions to revive the classics, but something went terribly wrong. Unfortunately, another weak link presents itself with "Around My Way." The song is a little too slow, almost boring, though its narrative is insanely thought provoking.
The public was first introduced to this prolific rapper on his debut album with like-minded cohort, Mos Def, founding the duo Black Star. Their album gained critical attention from hip-hop enthusiasts and the two brought something new to the rap game that was very reminiscent of earlier artists like De La Soul, Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest, forging socially conscious hip-hop to the top of music charts. The Beautiful Struggle is an attempt to finally give Kweli the notoriety he deserves in the ever-shifting dynamics of hip-hop culture. This summer however, fans were able to hear a different side of this esteemed emcee with the prequel to his upcoming album, The Beautiful Struggle Mix Tape. Here, Kweli spits alongside G-Unit's Game, Styles P, Fabulous and a host of others. After his appearance on Kanye West's landmark, The College Dropout steners could see he was mingling outside of the realm of "backpack rap," allowing him a wider and more diversified audience who might not have checked for him before.
So how does The Beautiful Struggle measure up to his previous work? Well, Kweli remains focused by articulating well-thought lyrics and never falls short in delivering punch lines that will make you rewind your CD to catch the meaning; that's the beautiful side. The struggle comes with tracks that are poorly produced. A leading example is "We Got the Beat" featuring R&B artist Res. This song is a fusion of Afrika Bamataa's "Planet Rock" and the Go-Go's original title "We Got the Beat." These two 80's anthems should never come together on one record; surely, there were good intentions to revive the classics, but something went terribly wrong. Unfortunately, another weak link presents itself with "Around My Way." The song is a little too slow, almost boring, though its narrative is insanely thought provoking.