Gravitas
Talib Kweli
(Javotti Media)
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If the rap game is one big hustle then no one is presently grinding harder than Talib Kweli. The New York rapper has been putting out albums and mixtapes seemingly every few months; his sixth album Gravitas comes only seven months after his previous collection Prisoner of Conscious. The flip-side of such a work ethic is the possibility of a loss of focus. Prisoner of Conscious saw him flirting with pop-rap by collaborating with the likes of Nelly and Miguel, but it was scattered – Kweli’s socially relevant lyrics never gelled with some of the ebullient hooks. Fortunately the feisty Gravitas comes swiftly to set the ship back on course. Kweli channels the wise and indignant rapper of his classic albums Quality and The Beautiful Struggle to deliver one of his fiercest releases in some time. A manic energy abounds here with Kweli going full throttle in the boisterous Demonology and New Leaders. The intensity is also matched on the lyrical front, with Kweli questioning hip-hop’s uber materialism in State of Grace or teaming up with Black Thought to praise solid parenting in Art Imitates Life. More than 15 years in the game and Kweli still has a lot to say.