Evidence was hit hard. In the last few years, the Dilated Peoples rapper had a number of dramatic changes in his life — ones that helped shape the direction, feel and focus of his recently released album, “Cats & Dogs.”
Talib Kweli broke ground as a top-tier, razor-sharp, socially-minded lyricist as a member of Reflection Eternal with Hi-Tek and in Black Star with Mos Def. The Brooklyn rapper’s solo material has been equally charged, from the inspirational “Get By” to the tribute to his lady on “Hot Thing.”
Kweli continues his remarkable creative evolution with “Habits Of The Heart,” the debut album from Idle Warship, his group with singer Res. The sonically and thematically diverse collection allows both Kweli and Res to explore new components of their artistry. Kweli, for instance, plays a violent character on “Enemy,” while Res takes a decidedly upbeat stance on “The Floor.”
With Idle Warship in full swing, Talib sat down to give us an exclusive look at his Top 5 Artists’ Reinventions, something he knows plenty about.
Chiddy Bang’s “Chiddy” grew up in Newark, New Jersey, listening to New York radio station Hot 97. We sat down with the Guinness World Record holder to get his Top 5 Songs on the Radio when he was growing up.
With Valentine’s Day arriving next week, love is on people’s mind – including record labels. So, Atlantic Records and Elektra Records are teaming to release The Love EP, which is due in stores February 8 and features songs from Bruno Mars, Musiq Soulchild, Tank, Cee Lo Green and Trey Songz. Each artist will also have their own digital Valentine’s Day card.
As you prepare for the day that celebrates love and affection, here’s a breakdown of each artist featured on The Love EP, their history and the type of man/woman you may attract by playing their music.
Talib Kweli learned an important lesson on the road. Before the Brooklyn MC broke out with Reflection Eternal, Black Star with Mos Def or embarked upon a successful solo career, he saw the importance of visiting places beyond the New York state line.
“Traveling has definitely enabled me to appreciate other cultures musically, even cultures within hip-hop, whether it’s Down South, Midwest, West Coast,” says Kweli, whose new album, Gutter Rainbows, is due in stores today (January 25) and features the song “Mr. International,” which details his life on the road. “Me working with Hi-Tek early in my career and spending a lot of time in Cincinnati really opened me up. When I was first in Cincinnati, they were listening to a lot of E-40. E-40’s Federal was the album that they were on. Then it moved from the West Coast with E-40 and Spice 1 and Dr. Dre influence to a Down South influence with the rise of Master P.”
Though the South spawned such top-notch lyricists as Scarface, Big Mike, 8Ball & MJG and OutKast in the 1980s and 1990s, the region was never regarded as a lyrical hotbed. Lil Wayne is doing his best to correct this wrong.
Dee-1 may be next in line. The New Orleans rapper set the Internet ablaze in late 2010 with “Jay, 50, and Weezy,” an inventive cut where he imagined a conversation he would have with each artist. But rather than just begging to be signed, Dee-1 saluted each rapper before pointing out ways they could help their communities and the rap community.
Virtually instantly, Dee-1 became a rare Southern MC: a rapper known for his lyrics, his creativity and his musical agenda. “When you have a calling and a mission, it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Dee-1 says today. “I think it’s just all about exposure to people and that’s what I’m focusing on, just getting exposure to people. I think that regardless of me being from New Orleans, being from the South, whatever people might label me as, I think it’s just a connection that people are going to make to my purpose and to my movement. So I don’t think that geography is going to matter.”