Two years since his previous effort Gutter Rainbows hit stores, Brooklyn rhymer Talib Kweli drops off his fifth solo album Prisoner of Conscious. With an array of featured guests, a magnitude of rhythmically responsive instrumental backdrops and more subject matters than a book of short stories, the 15 track lyrical get down is a tempo frenzy of intellectual poetry.
The warning is abundantly clear - that hardcore Hip Hop is back with a vengeance. So far this year, Raekwon, Talib, Saigon and Pharoahe Monch have dragged back into the forefront the rugged, unapologetic sounds which whips ciphers into a frenzy and causes fans to go wild in underground shows.
Looking to add to the mountain of solid music currently out is ten years in the game rapper Reks, whose reputation as one of the top spitters away from the mainstream lights still remains intact. Gaining many nods in the game that his latest release boasts an array of super producers, Reks may very well need to bring his best book of rhymes to ensure his third studio album is an all round classic.
“If Jay-Z makes rap look easy, Kweli makes rap look hard”.
I utterly believe this opening quote can be used as a summary for the BK emcee's career. Going deeper in the rabbits hole, a stupendous emcee: chameleonic and acrobatic flows, relevant and diverse subject matter in the much arid panorama of substance that composes American rap, unparalleled understanding of the “Dilla” thump and aesthetics and unique vocal chords culminating with his biggest weapon, tremendous lyricism annexed with positivism and consciousness. Shoes many rappers try to fill, but so very few manage to walk in.
These gifts and accomplishments result in a Prometheus cult following that hasn't faded over a decade. Talib Kweli has nothing to prove and is hungry still, that's incredible and it's the type of cloth that legends and hall of famers are usually cut from. The curse, on the other hand, lies in