Talib Kweli new ahh interview (july 2011)

[The_Ripper]

AllHipHop.com sat down with Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn MC, who has been releasing a series of videos in support of his Gutter Rainbows project that came out earlier this year. Traveling the world from Brazil to Norway, to London to Puerto Rico for recording sessions, Talib Kweli is officially on that next level with respect to touring and longevity in the game. 

Hip-hop fans have got to respect the fact that Talib is making appearances and performing at over 200 shows per year and in general has set the bar for what MCs can do with their lyrics. Not only is his music remaining relevant and consistent over the years, but also Talib has had great success with his Blacksmith label, signing femcee Jean Grae and West Coast heavy hitters, Strong Arm Steady. 

Take a look at this in depth interview as we discuss Gutter Rainbows, his new project Prisoner of Conscious, Common’s trip to the White House, Lauryn Hill and any chances of Black Star reuniting for a new project. 

AllHipHop.com: So where you at right now man?

Talib Kweli: In New York City

AllHipHop.com: Ok, so we posted that Mr. International video on the site the other day and you take viewers around the world showing your life on tour. Talk to me about the making of that video if you could, the concept behind it and how that came together.

Talib Kweli: I basically was working on Gutter Rainbows and I was on tour in Norway and I knew that when the Gutter Rainbows project came out I would want some visuals to go with it and so I had these kids Niim the Dream and his partner John who had offered to do a video for Reflection Eternal “In the Red” and they did the video basically.

What people need to understand is there ain’t no budget for videos at major labels for videos and I put out Gutter Rainbows myself, and so it’s like ok, people don’t really pay attention to stuff that doesn’t have a visual component. So I got to figure out a way to get people to know about this record. So since I am performing Mr. International all around the world, and I just told these kids, “Since you did a good job on the Reflection record, roll with me and we will tape some shit,” and that’s what we did.

AllHipHop.com:  Its cool to see all the experiences and its cool for people to see what they otherwise wouldn’t see.  Def a positive and entertaining video.

Talib Kweli: I also used to be a fan of, not the music, but of heavy metal tour videos too, where you see the band and that travel all around the world. (laughs)

AllHipHop.com: (Laughs) That’s crazy.  For this Gutter Rainbows project, it was released digitally in the U.S. Do you have any plans in the future of re-releasing the project Gutter Rainbows with physical copies in the U.S Or can you talk with me about why you went just digital on this project in the U.S.?

Talib Kweli: I have an album coming out on Blacksmith called Prisoner of Conscious, and you have to be careful selling music in retail these days with retail.  With the Best Buys and the Targets, there’s only so much shelf space and people don’t buy CDs anymore, there’s no independent record stores that you can go to, so for an artist like myself, putting out an independent album its very tough to get music to the Best Buys and to know all the retailers etc. and to compete on that level. So rather than spend all that money and trying to compete on that level, I spent my money on trying to get people to know about the album and have it be online only. But that’s not so much of the problem overseas.  If you want a copy now, mom and pop shops will have the import, Amazon.com, UndergroundHipHop.com will have it. But it will come out in the United States after the Blacksmith album called Prisoner of Conscious. I will re-release Gutter Rainbows physically in the U.S.

AllHipHop.com: We had received a physical copy of the project via the mail and that “I’m On One” track really stood out. With the Beastie Boys sample and Ed Lover. That was a phrase we were all saying for a while.  Drake and them came out with the “I’m on one" record too recently.

Talib Kweli: Its just a phrase out there in the lexicon and it’s a phrase, and just something people say and when I did my version of it, I was just like I guess that’s the hook and I’m just guessing Drake and them aren’t familiar with my version. 

AllHipHop.com: Ok, so you were on the Rock the Bells with Mos right?

Talib Kweli: Yes

AllHipHop.com: Can you give us any update on any work with Mos collaboratively, there’s a lot of questions on the Internet about when and if you will come together for a project?

Talib Kweli: There’s no update, there’s no album that we are working on, we have done a lot of music together and a few songs that people haven’t heard, but Mos operates very differently than your average artist in terms of how he wants to get his music out there and I think what it is with him is really trying to explore ownership and really trying to explore the best way for us to put out an album that is based on the creative love for the music, rather than based on the demand from the fans. As much as this is a business, music is not made because of supply and demand and music is made from your heart, and we just got to do it because its right and not just because there is a demand for it, but I want to hear it too.

AllHipHop.com: Yea so Obama made a proclamation about the Black Music History Month on the official White House Website.  If you could, please just talk about the importance of this month.

Talib Kweli: To be truthful to you, that stuff that don’t really affect me and the people I roll with, I understand the need for Black Music Month and Women’s month, Black History Month, because in our society these are things that are forgotten about and they are things that are not represented the way they should be, Black People’s History, Women’s Issues, Black Music. But I prefer to live a lifestyle where that doesn’t even matter because I am dealing with this kind of stuff all day and all year long. That’s more what I would encourage Not so much getting caught up in doing something extra Black Music History Month, but just to celebrate Black music and music in general. Black, White, whatever. I am a Black musician and my Blackness completely forms my emotion and experience, so my music is Black music, but I am definitely a fan of celebrating it all year as opposed to highlighting it for just a month. In my life Black music is highlighted everyday and I celebrate it all year.

AllHipHop.com: That’s what’s up man. So Common recently went to the White House, Fox News did their deal on it and had some choice words for Common.  Can you talk about it looking back and your thoughts on the situation?

Talib Kweli: Yea you know that situation really bothered me because Common is one of our bright shining lights out here and if you take the politics out of it, they called him a “thug” and said he had no business at the White House. Then you look at Rand Paul who said that anyone speaking out against the government or at a rally where they are speaking against the government they should be deported. Then I see footage of him at a gun show where you have bands performing and they are talking about revolution against America.  You have people promoting Nazism and people bustin’ rounds, that’s way more thuggish than anything that Common has ever done. Rand Paul is a Libertarian and not even a Republican, but it’s just this sort of racism attached to it. It’s that fear of a Black man.  There’s nothing scary about Common being invited to the White House to preside over a poetry event, there’s nothing scary about that. But the idea that a Black president from Chicago would invite a Black rapper from Chicago was enough.

When I saw Hannity talking about, “Yea I Googled Common”.  You not gonna understand Common from Googling a couple of songs. That’s not how its’ going to go down.  And our people should be in full support of Asatta Shakur and it shouldn’t even be a question about that in my opinion.  The New Jersey State Troopers made a big deal about it, and the Republicans ran to them, but we should be supporting Asatta Shakur, free speech, and we should be supporting Common, we should be standing outside Fox News since its 80% entertainment and an idiot with an opinion, and its not someone’s opinion that should be respected.

AllHipHop.com: Yea was a real messy situation. On a more positive note, talk to me about Jean Grae’s work and everyone is anticipating her release on your label. Can  you talk to me about your plans for her work on that project?

Talib Kweli: Jean Grae is one of the greatest musicians that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. I don’t think people have really understood just the level of where she is at musically. Beyond MCing, musically she is singing, mixing her album, she is just an incredible musician. The MC thing is almost too easy for her.

We have the video coming out off Gutter Rainbows that comes out in a few weeks, I’m really excited about that, and we do a lot of fly s**tin that video.  She has a Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama that’s coming out and lyrically people are going to start to understand why she ain’t to be fucked with. Her Blacksmith album is called Cake or Death and it’s a conceptual album and it’s an album about relationships that goes in depth a little more than your average hip hop album.  I personally find when hip hop artists who are already great lyricists, like Lauryn Hill or Andre 3000 explore love, something really special happens and think that’s what is going to happen with Jean Grae.

AllHipHop.com: That’s dope. Lots of respect for Jean.  You had just mentioned Lauryn Hill, she just performed at Rock the Bells, she was recently in the news because she is pregnant again, and I guess people just really want to hear more of her music and all that.  She was at the Rock the Bells show and announced her pregnancy.  Can you talk to me about your relationship with her and any music you guys may put out possibly?

Talib Kweli: You know Lauryn is someone who I spent time hanging out with early in my career just as friends. There’s have been a lot of changes in her life since then, and she is now at an icon status and she has affected the world in a way that is immeasurable.  I don’t really have a relationship with her per say, since before my career started and you know I have seen her once or twice over the years, like Chapelle’s Block Party and certain things, where we’re able to just say hello, you know what I’m saying? But I am somebody from a distance that is in full support of Lauryn Hill from a distance as a person and as an artist. I think she is necessary.  I understand why even with people not understanding her artistic choices, people still gravitate towards her and demand her.

AllHipHop.com: I remember you making a song for her a couple years back. It was a few years back and I just remember you having a great deal of respect for her. Ok so, in one interview you mentioned you do about 200 shows a year. Is that correct?

Talib Kweli: Yes that’s correct.

AllHipHop.com: What allows you to keep up that work ethic and drive. You got to be working out and eating healthy.  SXSW wears me out man after a week of shows.  What’s the secret?

Talib Kweli: Yea I have SXSW every week.  (laughs)

AllHipHop.com: What’s the secret to being health and focused?

Talib Kweli: You know having kids and having to do it. This is how I make my money. On the road, having Blacksmith music, making music, working on my book,and other things that I am working on.  I enjoy being on the road and writing this book and other things I am involved in, God willing, I enjoy being on the road and the essence of MCing is the Master of Ceremony, in order to master the ceremony you have to be at the ceremony. Everything else is a carbon copy and there are other ways to do it and I could be honest and tell people that I go on the road not just because I love it, but also because that’s where the work is for me.

AllHipHop.com: Yea that’s dope. I heard you say you are working on a book. Can you elaborate on that for me?

Talib Kweli: Yea I’ve been writing it since the top of the year.

AllHipHop.com: What can we expect from that?

Talib Kweli: Its sort of my life experiences and along with some of my philosophy about life and I am still a relatively young person in the scheme of the world, so I don’t feel like I feel like I will stop learning by any strength of the imagination, but I’ve learned some things that I can impart that can be worth some thing to some people.

AllHipHop.com: All the shows, all the artists that you work with it will be cool. I’m trying to support every hip-hop book, that should be good.

Talib Kweli: I just finished Malice’s book, haven’t got Styles P yet, but any MC that is serious about rapping has to read that Jay-Z book.

AllHipHop.com: Its cool some of the videos I have seen on the net about that and what Jay-Z is bringing to the table with that book.  Prisoner of Conscious – can you talk about when we can expect to hear that and what we can expect from that project? Any features?

Talib Kweli: I would say end of summer. I am working hard on that project.

AllHipHop.com: Can you give us any inside scoop on who is on that project?


Talib Kweli: I got a song that I’m really excited about.  Sue George from Brazil. That is something that is exciting for me.

AllHipHop.com: I remember him from….

Talib Kweli: That City of God and Life Aquatic.

AllHipHop.com: How did you link with him?

Talib Kweli: This album I have been traveling, we went to Puerto Rico for a month and we set up a studio for a month, then we went out to a rainforest in Puerto Rico and then when to Berlin and then I was in Brazil and when I was in Brazil, I tweeted that I would love to do a song with him and I Tweeted it.  5 minutes later his manager responded and we put the song together.

AllHipHop.com: The beauty of the Internet and our smaller more connected and international world.  Thank you Sir.