Talib Kweli

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

This is pretty good I thought. I d/l it a couple of months ago but never really got to it. Needless to say, I think it's as good if not better as Quality. Of course, it's pretty much a bootleg so I think some more editing will take place or whatever, but most of the tracks on it are pretty damn good. Some memorable lines too, which is what I like about Talib the most. He raps about SOMETHING, and is clever about it too. In response to Jay-Z's line about him on the Black Album:

 

If lyrics sold, I'd probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z.

 

That's pretty funny, because he comes off offended that Jay-Z would even insinuate that he had his skills, so he very subtly tells him to fuck off haha. It's fucking brilliant I say, and the whole album is filled with stuff like this.

 

Whenever this comes out, buy it. Or d/l it now if you're a cash-strapped young lad like me.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

That wasn't a diss on Jay-Z.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

I think Talib and Roccafella are pretty tight.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Yeah, he was just giving him a shout-out back.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Damn. I suck.

 

But the album is still pretty fucking good.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I've read alot about this album, and I hope it delivers. I'll definitely be picking the disc up when it's released (22 June, by the way), and perhaps I'll give it a review. I hope The Beautiful Struggle doesn't disappoint, otherwise, I'm going to have to break Paragon's legs, and I don't want to do that.

[caboose 0]

Yes you do want to do that.

 

Yeah I'm looking forward to the new album too. His last two have been good if not really good.

[ant_7000 0]

Im definitly picking this album up. Too bad the album was heavy bootleg, can't blame Talib for getting pissed about it.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

So I listened to an official promo copy of this today, and boy, what a pile of shit. Kweli sounds lost in all the radio-friendly beatzzz; either his style doesn't mesh with the 106 & Park-ready club tracks (yes, as early reports indicated, he does some frigging club tracks on this album), or, even worse, he dumbs down his flow to make it more mainstream. If the shout out to him on The Black Album ends up exposing a lot of people to Talib Kweli and The Beautiful Struggle (and, given what a desperate grab for commercial success this album is, I imagine that's what Mr. TK Greene hopes), then Jay-Z's praise of Kweli looks foolish.

[ant_7000 0]

^ I don't know alot of people who've heard the finish version said it was a pretty good album lyrically but the beats falls short.

[Guest Shoes Head]

Backpackers are interchangeable. Rass Kass, Talib Kweli, whoever....that conscious/scientific/metaphor crap is soooooooooooooooooooooooo borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

[ant_7000 0]

^ Please someone tell whats Backpack rap? LOL People love knocking the conscious rappers because they have real substance in their music, unlike someone like Nelly.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Backpackers are interchangeable. Rass Kass, Talib Kweli, whoever....that conscious/scientific/metaphor crap is soooooooooooooooooooooooo borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

No one cares what you think. Leave the thread before you embarass yourself further.

[Guest Shoes Head]

^ Please someone tell whats Backpack rap? LOL People love knocking the conscious rappers because they have real substance in their music, unlike someone like Nelly.

So just because I don't like wake up show/nerd rap I'm automatically a nelly groupie? What's hilarious is how conscious rapper-teachers contradict themselves constantly. For every "I Can" there's an "Oochie Wally." And in spite of all their "knowledge" - they cannot speak the english language on a basic level. Rass Kass did a 100 bar "freestyle" talking on the history of mankind. What business does a high school dropout, convicted felon have teaching the world anthropology?? And let one of them diss another one. They go back and forth and call eachother "Faggot fakes" or "Fake faggots."

 

No one cares what you think. Leave the thread before you embarass yourself further.

 

This isn't HD. Stop your verbal assault before you get banded.

[Guest Fire and Knives]

No, no. He's got a point. You are pretty stupid.

 

K.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I concur.

[Guest Shoes Head]

Don't get banded!

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I can't be banned. I have the Dr. Tom Ban Exemption

 

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Okay, so the album isn't that good. I guess I was just lost in the hype of a follow up to Quality (and the fact that I heard it early). Some of the songs are REALLY bad, but I REALLY Like some of the other ones, so I guess it's hit or miss for me. I know most would hate it, but I love "Around My Way".

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

In fact, one particular song sounds like something out of mid nineties boy band pop. Seriously. It's got that lame "Jock beats" guitar riff in it.

 

But it's not that bad, I'd still buy it if I did that sort of thing. Not as good as Quality, but not many albums are. Decent.

[ant_7000 0]

^ Please someone tell whats Backpack rap? LOL People love knocking the conscious rappers because they have real substance in their music, unlike someone like Nelly.

So just because I don't like wake up show/nerd rap I'm automatically a nelly groupie? What's hilarious is how conscious rapper-teachers contradict themselves constantly. For every "I Can" there's an "Oochie Wally." And in spite of all their "knowledge" - they cannot speak the english language on a basic level. Rass Kass did a 100 bar "freestyle" talking on the history of mankind. What business does a high school dropout, convicted felon have teaching the world anthropology?? And let one of them diss another one. They go back and forth and call eachother "Faggot fakes" or "Fake faggots."

 

No one cares what you think. Leave the thread before you embarass yourself further.

 

This isn't HD. Stop your verbal assault before you get banded.

I didn't say you like Nelly, I just used him as a example. I think way people like you shit on Consicous rap, because either they can't relate to real life social commentary or you live in the hood and don't want to be reminded about things thats going on around you, so this party/jewels/cars/superthug type shit is just fantasy land for you. I understand thou some rap listeners don't want to be preach or be enlighten but to dismiss people like Talib or Nas as boring is silly.

[ant_7000 0]

I liked the album, not as good as Quality production wise. Lyrically, not bad no real commercial tracks (which I don't mind) and had strong pro black vibe which I always like from conscious rap artists. Songs I was feelin:

 

Around my Way (my favorite track for now)

Broken Glass (Good storytelling)

We got the Beat

Go Hard

We Know

I tried

Beautiful Struggle

Ghetto Show (Common came wit the lyrics on this one)

 

Overall 3.5/5 mics thats because the production wasn't that good. I would most def recommend this album.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I just picked this one up a few days ago and only got to give it a few spins. It didn't seem like a Kweli album and I wasn't big on it at first. It does come off to me as an album that can grow on you though. I will totally agree though that it seems as if he has sold out doing some of the "club" songs like Inc. mentioned earlier.