Blue
Note Jazz Club is presenting world-renowned hip-hop artist and activist
Talib Kweli, Thursday and Friday, September 18-19. Kweli appears in support of
his most recent album, Prisoner of Conscious (released in mid-2013).
Over the
past five years, Blue Note Jazz Club has put a prime focus on showcasing
special hip-hop programs. Recent shows have included Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek
(2009), Lauryn Hill (2011), Yasiin Bey (with special guests Lupe Fiasco and
Kanye West - 2011), Rakim & The Roots (2011), Questlove (2011), and Big
Daddy Kane (2013), among others.
Brooklyn-based
rapper Talib Kweli earned his stripes as one of the most lyrically-gifted,
socially aware and politically insightful rappers to emerge in the last 20
years. He travels around the globe as one of rap's most in-demand performers
combined with his conversations with political activists and his
genre-straddling work with Idle Warship and others caused Kweli to realize that
he was limited in a sense, a prisoner of sorts of his own success as one of the
world's best rappers with something significant to say. Whether working with
Mos Def as one-half of Black Star, partnering with producer Hi-Tek for
Reflection Eternal, releasing landmark solo material or collaborating with
Kanye West or Madlib, Kweli commands
attention by delivering top-tier lyricism, crafting captivating stories and
showing the ability to rhyme over virtually any type of beat.
"My
music has been associated with those types of causes, with positivity,
spirituality, intelligence and being thought-provoking and such," he says.
"I think sometimes people get caught up in that part of me as an artist
and don't necessarily understand the musicality or fully appreciate the music
and the entertainment value behind what I do. I tried to stretch my wings a
little bit and bring something that was less beholden to the world of hip-hop
and more existing in the world in general."
The
result of this artistic growth and exploration arrives with Kweli's dynamic
2013 release, Prisoner Of Conscious AKA P.O.C., an artistic tour de force that
signals the start of the next chapter of Kweli's remarkable career. The BK MC
spent more time working on Prisoner Of Conscious than any of his other albums,
a three-year journey that found him exploring new vibes, joining in some
unlikely collaborations and taking him to foreign lands.
Produced
by Symbolyc One (Kanye West, Ghostface), the title track's alternatively rap
and rock-based beat provides a distinctive platform for Kweli to deliver rhymes
that detail his artistic awakening, while producers Sean C & LV (Jay-Z,
Raekwon) created a Marvin Gaye-esque vibe for "Come," a cut featuring
Miguel that showcases Kweli trying to convince a series of women to do things
his way.
Talib Kweli appeatrs on Thursday
& Friday, September 18-19; Two shows nightly at 8:00PM & 10:30PM / Blue
Note Jazz Club, 131 W.
3rd Street (between 6th Ave and MacDougal St.)
No comments:
Post a Comment