Talib Kweli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Talib Kweli
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Kweli performing in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Talib Kweli Greene |
| Born | October 3, 1975 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University (BA) |
| Genres | East Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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Talib Kweli Greene (born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He became well-known in 1997 when he teamed up with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def to form the group Black Star. Talib Kweli has also had a successful solo career, working with famous producers and rappers like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. In 2011, he started his own record label called Javotti Media.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Talib Kweli grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. His mother was an English professor, and his father worked as an administrator at a university. His younger brother, Jamal Greene, became a law professor at Columbia Law School.
As a young person, Kweli was interested in Afrocentric rappers, especially groups like De La Soul. He went to a boarding school called Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. Later, he studied experimental theater at New York University.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out in Music (1997–2001)
Talib Kweli first appeared on an album in 1997. He worked with the group Mood from Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, he met a producer named Hi-Tek. They formed a duo called Reflection Eternal and made some popular underground songs.
Black Star and Reflection Eternal (1998–2000)
After returning to New York, Kweli joined up with Mos Def to create the group Black Star. Kweli brought Hi-Tek to produce their 1998 album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. This album was praised by critics and became quite popular. Kweli and Hi-Tek then released their own album as Reflection Eternal in 2000, called Train of Thought.
Hip Hop for Respect (2000)
In 2000, Mos Def and Kweli organized an EP (a short album) called Hip Hop for Respect. They created this project to speak out against police brutality. It was specifically made after Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by police officers, even though he was unarmed. The project brought together 41 different rappers to represent each shot fired.
Supporting Good Causes (2001)
In 2001, Kweli and Mos Def contributed to an album called Red Hot + Indigo. This album honored jazz legend Duke Ellington and raised money for charities that helped fight AIDS. They also worked on Red Hot + Riot in 2002, which paid tribute to Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. This project also raised money for important causes.
First Solo Albums (2001–2006)
In 2002, Kweli released his first solo album, Quality. It featured music produced by artists like DJ Quik and Kanye West. The album was very well-received by critics. His song "Get By," produced by Kanye West, even reached number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Kweli also appeared three times on Dave Chappelle's Chappelle's Show. He performed as a solo artist and with Mos Def as Black Star. In 2004, Kweli joined the Beastie Boys on their "Challah at Your Boy World Tour." He also performed at Dave Chappelle's Block Party, which was later made into a film.
In November 2004, he released his second solo album, The Beautiful Struggle. This album featured more mainstream producers like The Neptunes and Just Blaze.
Starting BlackSmith Records (2005–2009)
In 2005, Kweli started his own record label called Blacksmith Records. He released a mixtape-CD called Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD through his new label.
In 2006, Blacksmith Records partnered with Warner Bros. Records. Kweli also voiced the main character in the video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. In December 2006, Kweli released nine songs he recorded with producer Madlib for free online. This album was called Liberation.
In 2007, Kweli released his third solo album, Eardrum. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album featured a mix of producers, including Kanye West and Pete Rock.
In 2009, Kweli formed a group called Idle Warship with singer Res and musician Graph Nobel. They released a free mixtape called Party Robot.
Javotti Media and Recent Works (2010–present)
In 2010, Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek released their second Reflection Eternal album, Revolutions Per Minute.
Kweli's fourth solo album, Gutter Rainbows, was the first released by his new label, Javotti Media, which he founded in 2011.
His fifth solo album, Prisoner of Conscious, was released in 2013. The title refers to how he is often called a "conscious rapper." This album included guest artists like Nelly, Kendrick Lamar, and Busta Rhymes.
In 2017, Kweli released two projects: The Seven with Styles P, and his eighth solo album, Radio Silence.
In 2021, Kweli published his memoir, Vibrate Higher: A Rap Story, which won a literary award in 2022.
Since 2019, Talib Kweli has hosted a weekly podcast called The People's Party with Jasmin Leigh, where he interviews many famous guests. During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, he started another podcast, The Midnight Miracle, with Yasiin Bey and Dave Chappelle.
He has also confirmed plans for new albums with Madlib (Liberation 2) and a second Black Star album with Mos Def.
Javotti Media
In 2011, Talib Kweli started his own independent record label, Javotti Media. This label has signed artists like Cory Mo, Jessica Care Moore, K'Valentine, and Brazilian MC Niko Is.
Activism and Views
Talib Kweli is well-known for his strong political views and his work as an activist. He often speaks out about racial stereotypes and police brutality.
He supports political prisoners and community groups like the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. He often talks to students in high schools and colleges. Kweli believes that young people can make a difference because they have the energy to get out and do things. He also thinks that activism requires more than just sitting at a computer.
In 2019, Kweli was disinvited from a festival in Germany because of his support for BDS. He responded by saying he would rather stand up for what he believes is right than change his views for money.
Activism Efforts
- In 2000, he helped organize the Hip Hop for Respect CD and video to protest police brutality after the death of Amadou Diallo.
- In 2005, he joined supporters at City Hall in New York to ask the government to remove the bounty on political activist Assata Shakur.
- In October 2011, Kweli visited the Occupy Wall Street camp to support the protestors.
- In 2012, he spoke at a rally to urge the NYPD police to end their stop-and-frisk policy.
- In 2013, he traveled to Tallahassee to support the Dream Defenders, a student group protesting Florida's stand-your-ground law.
- In 2014, Kweli went to Ferguson, Missouri, to join protests after the shooting of Michael Brown.
- In 2015, he held two concerts to mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death, raising awareness for the cause.
Discography
Solo Albums
- Quality (2002)
- The Beautiful Struggle (2004)
- Eardrum (2007)
- Gutter Rainbows (2011)
- Prisoner of Conscious (2013)
- Gravitas (2013)
- Radio Silence (2017)
Collaboration Albums
- Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (with Mos Def as Black Star) (1998)
- Train of Thought (with Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal) (2000)
- Liberation (with Madlib) (2007)
- Revolutions Per Minute (with Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal) (2010)
- Habits of the Heart (with Res as Idle Warship) (2011)
- Indie 500 (with 9th Wonder) (2015)
- The Seven (with Styles P) (2017)
- Gotham (with Diamond D) (2021)
- No Fear of Time (with Yasiin Bey as Black Star) (2022)
- Liberation 2 (with Madlib) (2023)
- The Confidence of Knowing (with J. Rawls) (2024)
Book
In 2022, Kweli's book, Vibrate Higher: A Rap Story (2021), won a PEN Oakland – Josephine Miles Literary Award.
Images for kids
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Kweli performing in 2012
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Talib Kweli's signature
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Kweli in 1999, New York City
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Kweli performing alongside fellow Black Star member Mos Def
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Talib Kweli performing in Brooklyn in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Talib Kweli para niños
