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TALIB KWELI
Eardrum
Blacksmith/Warner, 2007
8.5/10, Excellent [scale]

Eardrum

The maturation process of Talib Kweli, while progressive, has been rather atypical. A Brooklyn native, Kweli was raised by academics (his name, roughly translated, means ‘true student’) and came into the hip hop world already properly cultured, educated, and driven. He moved from New York to Ohio to start his career while his brother was in law school at Yale. There’s no overcoming adversity story here… he didn’t deal like Jay-Z, or survive gunshots like 50. Yet both industry giants call Kweli one of their favorite rappers. Where does this respect come from? Content it seems. When Talib arrived, he was not hyped as a flowing phenom or a club hit-maker, but as a young rapper who actually had something to say.

So what are we to expect from ‘The Official BK MC’ on his latest LP, Eardrum? Does every track need to be packed with intelligent and relevant rhymes? He hasn’t exactly embraced this conscious rapper stereotype (see: Quality’s “Good to You”). According to a VIBE magazine interview, his next album is tentatively titled Prisoner of Conscious. Truthfully, Kweli’s self-consciousness about social consciousness is moot. Whether or not it’s just the typecast he dislikes, his music is still often intelligent and meaningful. For example, the first two singles off of Eardrum, are “Listen!!” and “More or Less.” Both lyrically bright and solidly produced, the tracks are anthems for change that provide Kweli a medium to say something.

And then… there are cuts like “Say Something” where Jean Grae attempts to help Kweli push a heated reformist attitude toward critics in stereotypical rap fashion. Unfortunately, most of their energy is wasted on self-promotion and poor metaphor. Will.i.am shapes the verses around an improvisational jazz sample, scratching, and a “talk shit now” loop. Perhaps he thought this attempt at a hook would fit well with Talib’s periodically infamous offbeat flow.

Yeah, ouch. But really, Talib fans need not worry. This track hard to listen to only because of the standard Kweli is held to. The first two songs, “Everything Man” and “NY Weather Report”, are both fantastic. Will.i.am ends up redeeming himself too. He comes back a later with great work on the new single, “Hot Thing”, a swingy summer jam that flexes a little radio muscle… ladies? Kweli may have finally hooked himself into the club with catchy and flirtatious rhymes like “You’re body like a flick/ it got surprising twists/ I write the script/ the main character your thighs and hips.”

Wait, hold up. Was ‘Talib’ in the same sentence as ‘club’? Okay, so while open-minded fans would be happy to hear another “Get By”, others like to pretend Talib is still underground. Sorry folks. This album is good. It’s appealing. Kweli has a seemingly marketable persona (see: Big Ten commercials). The singles released (three music videos prior to the album’s release) should, and most likely will, get some airplay.

Hip hop heads, please stay with me. There are appearances by the legendary KRS (”BK to BX and everyplace in between - it’s all 718.”), UGK (for a little southern flavor) and Norah Jones (some sultry chemistry is there, thanks to Madlib). All of them seamlessly infused together while Talib himself rarely disappoints. Eardrum provides religious food for thought, clever wordplay, and strong narratives. And although “Say Something” doesn’t properly tackle critics, weaknesses are addressed to become strengths on the lyrical classroom joint “Stay Around.” Although the track is proof that he is paying attention to his critics, it does suggest that he isn’t affected by them. If you didn’t know what kind of problems people have with Talib, he lets you know: ”’Kweli you should rap about this, you should rap about that’, any more suggestions? You in the back, yeah you, ‘you should rap on beat, you should more street, and never ever get your mack on please’. How bout you?… Kweli you nice, I know you getting some love, but you can’t spit like a thug.’”

Words will never hurt you right? True. But that doesn’t mean Kweli avoided the sticks and the stones. Eardrum was leaked some time ago, forcing the release date back to the end of the summer. Kweli quickly changed a few track names, added a Part 2 of Just Blaze’s “Hostile Gospel”, and included pretty good Strong Arm Steady and Justin Timberlake collabs to entice folks to go out and buy the album. The retail release also thankfully includes the version of the “In the Mood” with Kanye West rhyming as well as producing.

Really though, whether or not you’re in the mood, Eardrum is beautiful, high quality hip hop: thought provoking, but also all in good fun. Talib’s music is meant to be enjoyed, and he wants his fans to know that. Although this author still craves the overt socio-political awareness of Blackstar on a regular basis, he also hopes to proliferate the idea of Talib Kweli as more rapper, less radical. Kweli doesn’t want to be Bono or Immortal Technique. He wants to make music. Part of the reason that Talib’s Rock the Bells tour mate, Rage Against the Machine, initially broke up was because lead singer, Zack de la Rocha, took himself a little too seriously. The rest of Rage wanted to climb stage fixtures and be in a rock band. Similarly, Talib wants to just be an emcee. And that isn’t selling out. It’s not like he did a GAP commercial.

by Brian Meredith