Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene, 1975) is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the most prominent rappers in underground hip-hop, and is critically acclaimed frequently, despite not being incredibly commercially succe

Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene, 1975) is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the most prominent rappers in underground hip-hop, and is critically acclaimed frequently, despite not being incredibly commercially successful. His name is Arabic, meaning 'the seeker' or 'student of truth and knowledge'. His parents were both college professors: his mother an English professor, his father a sociology professor. As a youth, he was drawn to Afrocentric rappers, such as De La Soul and other members of the Native Tongues Posse and soon began recording with producer Hi Tek and rapper Mos Def who he had known since the two attended high school together. With Mos Def (together the pair were known as Black Star), Kweli achieved some mainstream success with the eponymously titled album Black Star. (1998, see 1998 in music) While Mos Def went on to a solo career, Kweli released the Hi Tek-produced Reflection Eternal in 2000, (see 2000 in music), which sold better than most alternative hip hop albums at the time. He has since released a critically acclaimed solo debut, Quality, in 2002 (see 2002 in music). In 2004, Kweli released his second solo album, "The Beautiful Struggle", which features production more akin to commercial rap, while Kweli's lyrical content retains its powerful social-political content. Kweli has created his own record label, Blacksmith Records and has recently signed acclaimed female rapper Jean Grae, with rumors continuing to grow that underground veteran MF Doom is the next artist to be picked up. He left Geffen Records and has signed with the Warner Music Group.