His third and final appearance on the show aired one year later on April 7, 2004. For his second appearance, Kweli partnered with Yasiin Bey, as Black Star, for the finale of the show's first season on April 9, 2003. He was the second musical guest on the show, which aired on January 29, 2003. Kweli made a total of three appearances on Dave Chappelle's Chappelle's Show. In February 2004, Kweli featured on Kanye West's "Get 'Em High" off of West's debut album The College Dropout. The album was met with widespread critical acclaim and received some mainstream attention thanks to the West-produced single "Get By" which peaked at No. In 2002, Kweli released his first solo album, Quality which featured production from a variety of producers, including DJ Quik and Kanye West. He collaborated with fellow hip hop artists Dead Prez, Jorge Ben, and Bilal to remake the Fela Kuti song "Shuffering and Shmiling", for the album. In 2002, Kweli contributed to the critically acclaimed Red Hot + Riot, a compilation CD created by the Red Hot Organization in tribute to the music and work of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Black Star collaborated with fellow artists John Patton and Ron Carter to record "Money Jungle". The compilation was a tribute to Duke Ellington, that raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. In 2001, Kweli and Mos Def, contributed to the Red Hot + Indigo compilation album created by the Red Hot Organization. Khaliyl, Fre, J-Live, Rubix, Invincible, Wordsworth, A.L., Kofi Taha, Tame One, Jane Doe, Grafh, Shyheim, Channel Live, Wise Intelligent, Cappadonna, Crunch Lo, Rock, Nonchalant, Ras Kass, Dead Prez and Parrish Smith. Len of Company Flow, Jah-Born of Medina Green, John Forté, Mr. Rap, Rah Digga, Sporty Thievz, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Posdnuos, Donte and Main Flow of Mood, Nine, Tiye Phoenix, Breezly Brewn' of the Juggaknots, Punchline, Imani Uzuri, El-P and Mr. Rappers featured on the EP include Owen Brown, Evil Dee, Kool G. The project aimed to assemble 41 emcees to represent the 41 shots fired. On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by four police officers while reaching into his pocket for his wallet. The project released one EP for Rawkus Entertainment. Hip Hop For Respect (2000)Īn EP, Hip Hop for Respect, was organized by Mos Def and Kweli to speak out against police brutality, specifically, the case of Amadou Diallo. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios. Kweli and Hi-Tek continued their Reflection Eternal partnership on the 2000 album Train of Thought. The album, released amidst a late '90s renaissance of conscious, Afrocentric hip hop, was hailed by critics and achieved modest mainstream success. Kweli brought along Hi-Tek to produce their only album to date, 1998's Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Shortly afterwards, upon returning to New York, he reconnected with Mos Def and formed Black Star. Rawkus Records collaborative projects (1998–2000) In Cincinnati, Kweli met Hi-Tek and the two collaborated on a few underground recordings as Reflection Eternal, including "Fortified Live" (1997), and "B-Boy Document 99/Chaos" (1999, featuring The High & Mighty). Kweli made his debut in 1997, with featured five appearances on Doom, an album by Cincinnati, Ohio group Mood. He later studied experimental theater at New York University. He was previously a student at Brooklyn Technical High School. Kweli was a student at Cheshire Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut. As a youth, Kweli was drawn to Afrocentric rappers, such as De La Soul and other members of the Native Tongues Posse whom he had met in high school. His younger brother, Jamal Greene, is a professor of constitutional law at Columbia Law School, a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, and former clerk to Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court. His mother, Brenda Greene, is an English professor at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, and his father is an administrator at Adelphi University. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.īorn in Brooklyn, New York City, Kweli grew up in a household in Park Slope. His most recent album is titled Gotham, released in 2020. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Talib Kweli Greene ( born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper from New York.
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