As he begins writing his next album, revered rapper Talib Kweli is characteristically frank about the reception accorded his 2004 release, The Beautiful Struggle.
Featuring collaborations with Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, the Neptunes and Kanye West, the Rawkus/Geffen Records set considerably upped the commercial ante following Kweli's 2002 brush with mainstream success, via the West-produced single "Get By."
"'The Beautiful Struggle wasn't as well-received by my core fan base," he admits. "What I was feeling artistically wasn't what they were feeling. They considered it as me trying to get a bigger record. I just wanted to work with those artists because I respect them. Nothing otherwise." That title has sold 288,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Kweli has since logged guest gigs with Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Nick Cannon ("a positive role model I like a lot"). But he has not forgotten his fans. To tide them over, he accepted a "lucrative" one-album offer from Koch. Right About Now, released in November 2005, found Kweli trading verses with Black Star comrade Mos Def and critically acclaimed female MC Jean Grae.
"This album is closer to what core fans want from me," Kweli says. "I had a bunch of songs I wanted to put out. It wasn't for the money but to keep the buzz out there and for the fans who support me whether they like the music or not." "Right About Now" has sold 40,000 copies in the weeks since its release.
The conundrum over critical acclaim versus commercial appeal aside, Kweli is jazzed about his new deal with Warner Bros. Records. Now off the road following the recent Breed Love Odyssey tour (with Mos Def and others), Kweli plans to scale back his annual schedule of 200-250 dates to spend more time in the studio. The first release under WB's partnership with Blacksmith Music, the label he heads with business partner Corey Smyth, will be Grae's solo album.
"She's a complete artist who is always going to be a commodity," Kweli says of South African-born Grae, who generated initial buzz as part of the group Natural Resource.
"Constantly creating material, she also sings and makes beats. Her ambition extends beyond just being an MC, having put out her own records with no management and signing her own deals. It's that kind of drive that artists will need in 2006."
Also on Kweli's docket is a reunion with his Reflection Eternal colleague Hi-Tek. Do not be surprised if the project winds up under the Blacksmith/WB umbrella.
In the meantime, fans can satisfy their cravings with Rawkus: Best of Decade I (1995-2005). Before shutting its doors in 2004, seminal indie Rawkus Records spurred a conscious-rap roots revival whose influential missionaries included Mos Def and Kweli. The pair, together with Hi-Tek, made Rawkus roar in 1998 with the still-impressive Black Star album.
"There were listeners for whom hip-hop was more than about the bling, and they were being ignored," Kweli recalls. Co-founders Jarret Myer and Brian Brater "were visionaries who had the resources to fill that void. We were the heart and soul of what they were doing. Those are good memories."
With the release of Right About Now, Kweli says he likes the creative vein he is in as he refines songs for his WB debut. "My job has always been to show you don't have to change who you are. You don't have to be a character of some rapper. You can be honest with who you are and be successful."
Featuring collaborations with Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, the Neptunes and Kanye West, the Rawkus/Geffen Records set considerably upped the commercial ante following Kweli's 2002 brush with mainstream success, via the West-produced single "Get By."
"'The Beautiful Struggle wasn't as well-received by my core fan base," he admits. "What I was feeling artistically wasn't what they were feeling. They considered it as me trying to get a bigger record. I just wanted to work with those artists because I respect them. Nothing otherwise." That title has sold 288,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Kweli has since logged guest gigs with Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Nick Cannon ("a positive role model I like a lot"). But he has not forgotten his fans. To tide them over, he accepted a "lucrative" one-album offer from Koch. Right About Now, released in November 2005, found Kweli trading verses with Black Star comrade Mos Def and critically acclaimed female MC Jean Grae.
"This album is closer to what core fans want from me," Kweli says. "I had a bunch of songs I wanted to put out. It wasn't for the money but to keep the buzz out there and for the fans who support me whether they like the music or not." "Right About Now" has sold 40,000 copies in the weeks since its release.
The conundrum over critical acclaim versus commercial appeal aside, Kweli is jazzed about his new deal with Warner Bros. Records. Now off the road following the recent Breed Love Odyssey tour (with Mos Def and others), Kweli plans to scale back his annual schedule of 200-250 dates to spend more time in the studio. The first release under WB's partnership with Blacksmith Music, the label he heads with business partner Corey Smyth, will be Grae's solo album.
"She's a complete artist who is always going to be a commodity," Kweli says of South African-born Grae, who generated initial buzz as part of the group Natural Resource.
"Constantly creating material, she also sings and makes beats. Her ambition extends beyond just being an MC, having put out her own records with no management and signing her own deals. It's that kind of drive that artists will need in 2006."
Also on Kweli's docket is a reunion with his Reflection Eternal colleague Hi-Tek. Do not be surprised if the project winds up under the Blacksmith/WB umbrella.
In the meantime, fans can satisfy their cravings with Rawkus: Best of Decade I (1995-2005). Before shutting its doors in 2004, seminal indie Rawkus Records spurred a conscious-rap roots revival whose influential missionaries included Mos Def and Kweli. The pair, together with Hi-Tek, made Rawkus roar in 1998 with the still-impressive Black Star album.
"There were listeners for whom hip-hop was more than about the bling, and they were being ignored," Kweli recalls. Co-founders Jarret Myer and Brian Brater "were visionaries who had the resources to fill that void. We were the heart and soul of what they were doing. Those are good memories."
With the release of Right About Now, Kweli says he likes the creative vein he is in as he refines songs for his WB debut. "My job has always been to show you don't have to change who you are. You don't have to be a character of some rapper. You can be honest with who you are and be successful."
