#22 - Phil

Talib Kweli

Quality

2002

“Spruce to the tree, Bruce to the Lee / Favorite MC, that your favorite rapper used to be / One by one I knock ‘em out like Schoolly D, my rhymes is eulogy / A flea could move a tree before ya think ya movin’ me.” Hailing from Brooklyn, Talib Kweli achieved critical acclaim as fast as any rapper ever has. His work with Mos Def on the hip-hop classic Black Star in 1998 gave him the chance he needed to record a solo album. This led to the creation of 2002’s Quality, one of the strongest lyrical albums to come out in years.

What makes Quality such a unique and special record is its incredible diversity, both from a subject-matter and personnel standpoint. It’s the only album I can think of that has three different regions of the country represented in its guests; Mos Def, Pharoah Monche, and Black Thought all come from the East Coast; Xzibit comes from the West Coast; and producers J Dilla and Kanye West both come from the Midwest. As a result, Kweli cooked up a Midwest-flavored album with a mostly-East Coast flow, a truly revolutionary tactic for its time. And on top of that, Kweli managed to trump the lyrical greatness of his work on Black Star. On “The Proud,” he writes a hauntingly-powerful verse about struggling to tell his son about black men’s struggles with the police: “Niggas with knowledge is more dangerous than niggas with guns / They make the guns easy to get and try to keep niggas dumb / Target the gangs and graffiti with the Prop 21 / I already know the deal, but what the fuck do I tell my son?” Without question, Quality is one of the most important albums to be released this decade… in any genre. -P.W.

Talib Kweli was one of my favorite rappers when I was only familiar with him through guest spots and his collaborative album with Madlib, "Liberation." So, I was happy to give "Quality" a listen when Phil told us it was on his top of the decade list. This only reaffirmed my fandom. Kweli has it all. He's got the lyricism, the production, and the fast delivery. After listening to "Quality," I agree that it's one of the best hip hop albums of the decade (I love the song "Rush"). - Ryan

Haha, quite a contrast to the style of our pick today. This is hip-hop that's lived in and carefully crafted, which is what's especially beautiful about the warm, acoustic sounds found throughout the production. Kanye West's production on "Get By" in particular is gorgeous with its choir of voices, claps and pounding piano, beautifully formed. As an emcee, Kweli spits forth some beautiful moments of clarity and insight. An inspiring record by a musician hoping to make a change with his words. - Steve