Contents. Early life Born in, Kweli grew up in a household in. His mother, Brenda Greene, is an professor at of the and his father an administrator at. His younger brother, Jamal Greene, is a professor of constitutional law at, a graduate of, and to Justice on the. As a youth, he was drawn to rappers, such as and other members of the whom he had met in high school.
Kweli was a student at, a boarding school in Connecticut. He was previously a student at before being academically dismissed. He later studied at. Music career Early career (1997–2001) Kweli made his debut in 1997, with featured five appearances on, an album by group.
In Cincinnati, Kweli met and the two collaborated on a few well received underground recordings as, including 'Fortified Live' (1997), and 'B-Boy Document 99/Chaos' (1999, featuring ). Kweli in 1999, New York City Rawkus Records Collaborative Projects (1998–2000) Shortly afterwards, upon returning to New York, he reconnected with and formed. Kweli brought along Hi-Tek to produce their only album, 1998's. The album, released amidst a late '90s renaissance of conscious, Afrocentric hip hop, was hailed by critics and achieved modest mainstream success.
Kweli and Hi-Tek continued their partnership on the 2000 album, which was likewise met with critical acclaim, but modest sales. The album was recorded at.
Aug 3, 2017 - In celebration of the 15th anniversary of his debut album Quality, Talib Kweli has announced a residency at NYC's Blue Note starting this fall. Check out this video on Streamable using your phone, tablet or desktop.
Hip Hop For Respect (2000) An EP, Hip Hop for Respect, was organized by and Kweli to speak out against, specifically, the case of. The project released one EP for Rawkus Entertainment.
On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by four police officers while reaching into his pocket for his wallet. Diallo was unarmed. The project aimed to assemble 41 emcees to represent the 41 shots fired. Rappers featured on the EP include Owen Brown, Evil Dee, Posdonus, Donte and Main Flow of, Breezly Brewn' of the Juggaknots, and Mr. Len of, Jah-Born of Medina Green, Mr. Khaliyl, Fre, Rubix, Invincible, A.L., Kofi Taha, Jane Doe, Crunch Lo, Rock,.
Producers included Mr. Red Hot Organization (2001) In 2001, Kweli and Mos Def, contributed to the compilation album created by the. The compilation was a tribute to, that raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. Black Star collaborated with fellow artists and to record 'Money Jungle'. In 2002, Kweli contributed to the critically acclaimed Red Hot + Riot, a compilation CD created by the Red Hot Organization in tribute to the music and work of Nigerian musician. He collaborated with fellow hip hop artists, and to remake the Fela Kuti song ', for the album.
Rawkus Records solo albums (2001–2006). Kweli performing alongside fellow member. In 2002, Kweli released his first solo album, which was a move toward a more mainstream sound. Quality featured production from a variety of producers, including. Additionally, appeared on Quality.
The album was met with widespread critical acclaim and received some mainstream attention thanks to the West-produced single 'Get By' which peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Quality peaked at No.
21 on the US Billboard 200 and at No. 6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. In February 2004, Kweli featured on Kanye West's 'Get 'Em High' off of West's debut album. Kweli made a total of three performances on Chappelle's Show. He was the second musical guest on the show, which aired on January 29, 2003. For his second appearance, Kweli partnered with Yasiin Bey, as Black Star, for the finale of the show's first season on April 9, 2003.
His third and final appearance on the show aired one year later on April 7, 2004. In the summer of 2004, Kweli Kweli, along with Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels, supported the on their 'Challah at Your Boy World Tour'. That same summer, appeared on a song called 'Live on Stage'. A live remix was later featured on the video game. In the summer of 2004, Kweli also performed at (both as a solo act and as one half of Black Star) and he was later featured in the film and soundtrack. In October 2004, Kweli contributed to 's Ancestry in Progress along with and to create to track 'Yelling Away'.
In November 2004, he released his second solo album and final Rawkus release, which debuted at No. Kweli responded to 's 2003 song 'Moment of Clarity' in which Jay-Z rapped: 'If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli', in his own track, 'Ghetto Show' by stating 'If lyrics sold then truth be told/I'd probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z.' Despite this nod, the album featured much more commercial production, including efforts from,.
Trippin is a 2005 environmental documentary television series hosted. On the show, said celebrities visit various ecological locales around the world, in particular underprivileged areas of the world. In 2005, Kweli had appeared in an episode also featuring,. The four of them had taken a trip to to visit one of the world's largest and most thriving ecosystems left on the planet, the. There, they had gone into the depths of the Serengeti Plain with a few local zoologists at the time. BlackSmith Records (2005–2009) In 2005, Kweli released a mixtape-CD off of his newly formed. The project was called, a title which is considered a response to the criticism of.
The musical offering was generally considered to be a. Some people regard Right About Now as an album because of its availability through commercial sites and its release of two singles. Right About Now also lacks the DJ overlays often accompanied by mixtapes which makes the CD read more like an album. The album sold 16,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at No. 113 on the Billboard 200. Sparking some controversy, on Right About Now Kweli sampled 's 'In Other Words' for his own song 'Ms. In part seven 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.
In a similar incident, Kweli reacted with outrage on Twitter when a verse from 'Fly Away' was sampled in Peter Andre's track of the same name. Kweli stated, 'I protect the integrity of my music like a grizzly protects cubs. Woe to those who actively stand in the way of that.'
Kweli has not publicly addressed his unauthorized use of Kweller's 'In Other Words'. Talib Kweli performing in Brooklyn in 2008 In 2006, Kweli signed a distribution deal with for Blacksmith Records.
Warner Brothers launched an online community via for Kweli. In January, Kweli was featured in a commercial for the 's, rapping about the league's teams. In February 2006, Kweli provided the voice of the protagonist in the graffiti-themed video game. In October 2006, Kweli performed on 's, hosted.
On December 31, 2006, Kweli released nine songs he recorded with underground producer for free download in conjunction with the web site for, the label to which Madlib is signed. The album was entitled, of which Kweli states in an interview with that releasing the album was liberating to him. In 2007, the album was made available for purchase. In 2007 Kweli signed rapper and the group to. Also in 2007, Kweli released his third solo album, on August 21. It debuted at No. The first single was '.
“The Perfect Beat' is a song on Eardrum that featured and it 'Do It Twice' by, which is a drum beat from. Kweli embarked on a national Australian tour in October, 2007. Eardrum, which featured a mix of mainstream and underground producers like, andreceived generally favorable reviews and went on to sell 129,000 copies after four weeks.
Also in 2007, Kweli released a mixtape containing rare and collaborative songs, entitled Focus. October saw Kweli play one of China's earliest music festivals, the Yue Festival, organised by, alongside Faithless and Ozomatli. In March 2008, Kweli was featured on MTV's TV show as the coach of Colin Colt, a young man who wanted to be made into a rap star. Also in March, Kweli released his video which appeared as the 'New Joint of the Day' on 's. Kweli was a featured artist on the and album, released on April 29, 2008 (on the track 'Hold It Down'). Kweli's split with in December 2008. Kweli confirmed to AllHipHop.com that Warner Bros.
Would still distribute and Kweli projects, but not other acts on the Blacksmith label. Kweli was featured at the fifth installment of Hot 97 radio personality 's acclaimed live interview series 'Noisemakers with Peter Rosenberg' on October 21, 2009. Kweli recorded a mixtape entitled Party Robot with singer and musician under the group alias. The mixtape was released as a free download on the website for Kweli's label Blacksmith with two different cover art options in late 2009.
There were videos shot for two of the songs from the album: 'Bedroom Lights' and 'Black Snake Moan'. In February 2009 it was announced that Kweli would be featured in the -turned-animated series on Missiong.com, voicing the lead part of the character Blak. Additionally, Kweli is a spokesperson and mentor for P'Tones Records a non-profit after school music program which mission is 'to create constructive opportunities for urban youth through no-cost music programs.' Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek released a second Reflection Eternal album titled on May 18, 2010. Revolutions per Minute was recorded at. It is their second album after a 10-year hiatus.
The album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 80/100 from. Javotti Media (2010–present) , Kweli's fourth solo album, was the first to be released by newly formed Javotti Media. The album was originally intended to be released in only a digital format. However, on November 16, 2010, Duck Down Records announced its plans to offer Gutter Rainbows a CD release outside US. This will include an import edition and a special edition with extras. In its first week, the album sold 13,900 copies in the United States. In December 2010, Kweli appeared with, and on a cover of 's ' for.
In 2011, Kweli was featured on the soundtrack for the film with the song 'Infinite Love'. Kweli's fifth solo album, a title derived from Kweli's constant labeling as a ' and based on reggae artist 's album Prisoner of Conscience.
Before the release of 'Rainbows', Kweli began working on 'Prisoner', and put cuts originally intended for 'Conscious' on 'Rainbows'. He also confirmed that he will reunite with Madlib to offer Liberation 2. Upon its May 7, 2013 release Prisoner of Conscious was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, and debuted at number 48 on the chart. The album feature appearances from, Miguel,. With production by, and others.
The selection of the tracks on this album were more experimental and worked towards illuminating musicality. Kweli went on to release music videos for 'Hamster Wheel', 'Upper Echelon', and 'Come Here' and more. Shortly after in August 2013, Kweli announced that in 2014 he will release his next studio album, Gravitas which will contain production from. The album included guest appearances from, and The Under Achievers with production by OhNo,. In November 2016, he released a compilation mixtape with to promote Javotti Media's developing artists, Awful People Are Great at Parties.
2017 saw two releases from Kweli; a joint effort with of in April and his eighth solo album, Radio Silence in November. Javotti Media In 2011, Kweli founded Javotti Media, an independent label. Signed artists include Cory Mo, Space Invadaz ( and Donte the Gr8 of MOOD), Jessica Care Moore, K'Valentine and Brazilian MC. Personal life His given name, Talib (طالب), in means 'student' or 'seeker'; Kweli means 'true' in. Kweli married DJ Eque on May 9, 2009 in. Kweli has a son, Amani Fela Greene, and a daughter, Diani Eshe Greene with author Darcel Turner.
Kweli used to be a, which had an influence on him earlier in his life and continues to do so. Politics and activism Views Kweli is known for his strong political views and activism, including on the topics of racial stereotypes and police brutality. Kweli has stated that he would focus on the if money was not a problem. He is an advocate on behalf of political prisoners and a supporter of community organizations like the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. He has spoken often to inner-city high schoolers and college students.
Kweli urged people to ask hip-hop artists questions in order to engage them politically, but warned not to get frustrated if artists do not 'give you what you want' in their replies. He said that music artists bear an unfair burden to use their music as a platform because they have the ability to influence more people. Kweli mentions that artists, just like their audience, fall victim to their upbringing.
In 2017, rapper and Kweli feuded on Twitter regarding Remedy's pro- political stance, which conflicts with Kweli's criticism of what he views as, and his criticism of. In an interview with, Kweli stated that young people are the only people that can make a difference because they have the energy to actually go out to the public and do something. However, he stated his belief that activism cannot be done by just sitting at a computer. Activism Along with Mos Def, Kweli organized the Hip Hop for Respect CD and video in 2000, which spoke out against police brutality and specifically about the death of at the hands of New York City police. Profits from the CD were given to the Hip Hop For Respect Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encouraged celebrities to become involved with their fans. The Hip Hop For Respect contained 41 different artists for each shot that the police took at Diallo.
In May 2005, Kweli and Mos Def gathered with supporters at City Hall to demand that the federal government drop the million dollar bounty that was placed on political activist 's head and remove her from the terrorist watch list. Kweli visited the camp in October 2011 to show support for the protestors. On October 1, 2012, Kweli spoke at a rally at city hall to urge the NYPD police to end their policy.
On August 7, 2013, Kweli traveled to Tallahassee to spend a night in the capital building with the Dream Defenders, a group of students that created a sit-in at the Florida governor's office to protest the state's. On August 19, 2014, Kweli traveled to, to join the community in protesting the. Kweli joined South African artist on a new of his single ', a tribute to the icon of the same name. The original appeared on 's album. The remix was produced by and was released on November 3, 2014, as a free. In 2015, Kweli held two concerts to mark the one year anniversary of Michael Brown's death.
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.THIS IS FOR THE DIGITAL (Mp3) VERSION OF GRAVITAS. You Will Receive the Download Link Immediately Upon Order. Please Note the Download is a ZIP File. You will need to download onto a computer, Unzip and then manually enter it into your Song Library. Email with any problems Gravitas Track Listing and Producers 1.
Inner Monologue - produced by Khrysis 2. Demonology - featuring Big K.R.I.T & Gary Clark Jr., produced by Lord Quest 3.
State of Grace - featuring Abby Dobson, produced by Lord Quest 4. Violations - featuring Raekwon, produced by Thaddeus Dixon 5. Rare Portraits - produced by OhNo 6. New Leaders - featuring UnderAchievers, produced by Statik Selektah 7. The Wormhole - produced by OhNo 8. What's Real - featuring RES, produced by Rich Kidd 9.
Art Imitates Life - featuring Black Thought, Rah Digga & ALBe. Back, produced by OhNo 10. Lover's Peak - produced by 6th Sense 11. Colors of You - featuring Mike Posner, produced by J Dilla.