In this SOHH exclusive, Talib Kweli talks about his newest project Blacksmith TV, his role in the upcoming Juice Crew film and how the Nets move to Brooklyn still has him on the fence.
With his label Blacksmith Records home to several rising artists, hip-hop veteran Talib Kweli told SOHH the label's newest venture came as the result of some creative brainstorming.
"The idea for Blacksmith TV came up when we were trying to figure out how to market and promote Eardrum," Talib recalled. "Record sales are not what they used to be, I'm the type of artist who has a fan base who can be stoked in a certain way, but the DJ's -it's not like people play Talib Kweli records in the mix...so I have to create my own opportunities."
"Doing a TV show we have control over is a great way to get my music out there and to expose the great great personalities of people like Jean Grae, Krondon, Phil da Agony and Strong Arm (Steady)," he added. "We need to get people familiar with who they are and what they look like... The show is taking stuff that really happens to us and playing it up for entertainment value. If something fits, we might add on or improvise, it's like Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Smack DVD."
While Talib is still deciding on a permanent home for the project, fans can catch early episodes of Blacksmith TV online.
"The second episode will be on my MySpace page next week," Talib said. "We've had a number of deals on the table from different TV and internet stations but we are just trying to pick the right deal. At the same time we don't want to keep the fans waiting, which is why we're going to put up the second episode."
Blacksmith TV isn't the only place Kweli can be caught on-screen, Talib will soon be acting in the upcoming Juice Crew film, The Vapors, news he shared after learning The Notorious B.I.G. biopic had been cast.
"They cast Gravy to play Biggie?" Talib questioned. "I don't know about that, but I think it's way more interesting that they cast me to pay Scott La Rock in The Vapors movie, so watch for that. Good for Gravy though, those dudes show me a lot of love."
Like Biggie, Talib is a proud Brooklyn native, however he admitted he hasn't decided how he feels about the plan to move the Nets to his borough.
"I'm usually down with whatever Jay-Z is down with, but I do know there's some issues in the community with people who have homes and are from that community, so I know it's not all sweet and rosy," Talib admitted. "I know people have issues with it and I'm not exactly sure of the finer points of the conflict to give it my blessing or to denounce it."
Source: SOHH.com
With his label Blacksmith Records home to several rising artists, hip-hop veteran Talib Kweli told SOHH the label's newest venture came as the result of some creative brainstorming.
"The idea for Blacksmith TV came up when we were trying to figure out how to market and promote Eardrum," Talib recalled. "Record sales are not what they used to be, I'm the type of artist who has a fan base who can be stoked in a certain way, but the DJ's -it's not like people play Talib Kweli records in the mix...so I have to create my own opportunities."
"Doing a TV show we have control over is a great way to get my music out there and to expose the great great personalities of people like Jean Grae, Krondon, Phil da Agony and Strong Arm (Steady)," he added. "We need to get people familiar with who they are and what they look like... The show is taking stuff that really happens to us and playing it up for entertainment value. If something fits, we might add on or improvise, it's like Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Smack DVD."
While Talib is still deciding on a permanent home for the project, fans can catch early episodes of Blacksmith TV online.
"The second episode will be on my MySpace page next week," Talib said. "We've had a number of deals on the table from different TV and internet stations but we are just trying to pick the right deal. At the same time we don't want to keep the fans waiting, which is why we're going to put up the second episode."
Blacksmith TV isn't the only place Kweli can be caught on-screen, Talib will soon be acting in the upcoming Juice Crew film, The Vapors, news he shared after learning The Notorious B.I.G. biopic had been cast.
"They cast Gravy to play Biggie?" Talib questioned. "I don't know about that, but I think it's way more interesting that they cast me to pay Scott La Rock in The Vapors movie, so watch for that. Good for Gravy though, those dudes show me a lot of love."
Like Biggie, Talib is a proud Brooklyn native, however he admitted he hasn't decided how he feels about the plan to move the Nets to his borough.
"I'm usually down with whatever Jay-Z is down with, but I do know there's some issues in the community with people who have homes and are from that community, so I know it's not all sweet and rosy," Talib admitted. "I know people have issues with it and I'm not exactly sure of the finer points of the conflict to give it my blessing or to denounce it."
Source: SOHH.com
