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Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli Quotes

Rapper

Talib Kweli, born Kweli Anjum, is an American rapper and music producer. Born on October 3, 1975, he is known for his unique rap style and profound lyrical content. Kweli began his career in the late 1990s and has established himself in the music industry through collaborations with several renowned artists.

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Famous Talib Kweli Quotes

“Unfortunately hip-hop is so competitive that in order for fringe groups to get in, you gotta be better than whoever's the best. So before Eminem, the idea that there would be a white rapper that anybody would really check for was fantastic or amazing or impossible.”

Ideas Would Be Order White Impossible Groups Hip Hop Checks Fantastic Hips Hops Rapper Fringe

Author:Talib Kweli

“I feel like your city - with hip hop in particular, because we're always beating our chest and shouting where we're from - your city is just as influential as your parents. Even the grimy, hardcore gangster rap from New York - KRS-One and Wu Tang, the stuff acknowledges it.”

Feels Stuff Parent Cities New York Particular Like You Hip Hop Rap Hips Acknowledge Hops Chests Influential Shouting Gangsters Hardcore Gangster Rap Krs One

Author:Talib Kweli

“Hip hop is at its essence a folk music, because it speaks the language that people are still speaking at ground zero, it speaks the language that people speak on the streets.”

People Stills Speak Language Streets Music Is Essence Folks Hip Hop Hips Hops Zero Folk Music Ground Zero

Author:Talib Kweli

“By the time you get into other kinds of music - R&B, country, or whatever - it becomes something that's romantic. It becomes something unattainable. Never-ending undying love. And in hip hop, we're still taking direct inspiration.”

Kind Stills Country Inspiration Direct Hip Hop Hips Hops Never Ending Unattainable Undying Love

Author:Talib Kweli

“Hip hop has always been, for us, for artists who are pure to the craft - any place overseas, whether it's Australia, any place in Asia, Germany, Africa, it becomes something where you can still go and work. Hip hop is an import culture. We're spoiled by it here. It's homegrown.”

Stills Artist Culture Pure Hip Hop Crafts Hips Germany Hops Australia Asia Spoiled Imports Homegrown

Author:Talib Kweli

“Hopefully, we learn to appreciate hip-hop here so that it doesn't go the way of jazz.”

Way Appreciate Jazz Hip Hop Hopefully Hips Hops Learn To Appreciate

Author:Talib Kweli

“I see that happening with hip hop purists now. Where you have an artist like a Kendrick [Lamar] or a Drake, who are really trying different things emotionally, different things musically, and on a mainstream level. And you have underground hip hop fans dissing it, for the simple fact that it's mainstream - not because what they're doing is whack, or what they're doing is not sincere.”

Trying Different Facts Artist Simple Levels Fans Happenings Hip Hop Hips Hops Different Things Sincere Mainstream Trying Different Things Dissing

Author:Talib Kweli

“But there's so many things in life like women, like children, like God and family that transcends the world of hip-hop.”

World Children Hip Hop Hips Hops Things In Life

Author:Talib Kweli

“Hip-hop is a vehicle.”

Hip Hop Hips Hops Vehicle

Author:Talib Kweli

“Hip-hop isn't as complex as a woman is.”

Complexes Hip Hop Hips Hops

Author:Talib Kweli

“The beautiful thing about hip-hop is it's like an audio collage. You can take any form of music and do it in a hip-hop way and it'll be a hip-hop song. That's the only music you can do that with.”

Way Beautiful Form Song Can Do Hip Hop Hips Hops Beautiful Things Audio Collages Hip Hop Song

Author:Talib Kweli

“I think hip hop is a dance music that's rebellious by nature.”

Thinking Inspirational Dance Hip Hop Hips Hops Rebellious Dance Music

Author:Talib Kweli

“Homosexuality in hip-hop is an extension of homosexuality in the black community. The black community is very, very conservative when it comes to homosexuality, and I don't mean conservative in the good way, like we're saving money. I mean very intolerant.”

Way Mean Black Community Conservative Hip Hop Saving Hips Hops Homosexuality Extensions Good Way Saving Money Black Community

Author:Talib Kweli

“I don’t think that early hip hop stood out to be a social critique. A lot of fans of mine think that hip hop’s ultimate responsibility is to critique social structures.”

Thinking Social Responsibility Fans Mines Ultimate Structure Hip Hop Hips Hops Critique Social Structure

Author:Talib Kweli

“If I focus on being an activist and my job is to be a rapper, I'm not going to be as good of a rapper. I need to focus on hip-hop and focus on making the music, so that when the activists come to me and they need my voice to create a platform, then I've got enough people listening to me. Not because I'm conscious, but because I'm dope.”

People Ifs Needs Enough Jobs Voice Focus Listening Conscious Hip Hop Hips Hops Activist Rapper Platforms Dope

Author:Talib Kweli

“It doesn't get any more underground, conscious or indie than Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, but because they got a couple of really big pop hits, actually some of the biggest pop hits that hip-hop has ever seen, people are missing that part of their story. People are not counting that blessing.”

People Stories Bigs Missing Couple Blessing Conscious Hip Hop Pops Hips Hops Counting Story People

Author:Talib Kweli

“So I think hip-hop is moving and is going to continue to move in the direction of rappers just being honest with themselves, whether you're talking about Common and Mos Def or Nas and 50 cent.”

Thinking Moving Common Talking Honest Hip Hop Hips Being Honest Hops Rapper Cents Just Being

Author:Talib Kweli

“The materialism, the brashness, the misogyny - everything in hip-hop is amplified. Misogyny is a good example of something that is completely amplified in hip-hop. I do think there is more than enough of a balance, though, for fans who are willing to search it out.”

Thinking Enough Fans Example Willing Balance Hip Hop Hips Hops Materialism Misogyny Good Examples

Author:Talib Kweli

“What's more condescending and corny than someone telling you how much more money they have than you and telling you basically, 'I don't care about poor people,' which is a large part of what you hear of corporate hip-hop on the radio.”

People Care Poor Hip Hop Radio Don't Care Hips Corporate I Don't Care Hops More Money Poor People Corny Condescending

Author:Talib Kweli

“We commute to computers Spirits stay mute while you eagles spread rumors We survivalists, turned to consumers.”

Spirit Computer Hip Hop Spread Consumers Eagles Rumor Mute

Author:Talib Kweli

“If you ain't using all the talents God provided you with For the betterment of Man, understand, You ain't nothing but a waste.”

Ifs Men Talent Waste Hip Hop Rap Betterment

Author:Talib Kweli

“God gave us music, so we play with our words.”

Play Hip Hop Rap Our Words

Author:Talib Kweli

“Do the math: You never settle for less than the whole if you knew the half.”

Ifs Whole Half Hip Hop Rap Math Settling Never Settle

Author:Talib Kweli

“Consider me the entity within the industry without a history of spitting the epitome of stupidity.”

Industry Hip Hop Rap Stupidity Entity Epitome

Author:Talib Kweli

“Why give you the cure when the disease makes money?”

Giving Disease Hip Hop Rap Cures Making Money

Author:Talib Kweli

“Just because no one can understand how you speak, Don't necessarily mean that what you be sayin is deep.”

Mean Speak Hip Hop Rap

Author:Talib Kweli

“These niggaz ain't thugs, the real thugs is the government. Don't matter if you Independent, Democrat or Republican, Niggaz politickin' the street, get into beef, Start blastin'...now a new cat is executive chief.”

Ifs Real Matter Government Streets Republican Cat Independent Democrat Hip Hop Rap Chiefs Executives Beef Thug

Author:Talib Kweli

“Nowadays rap artists coming half-hearted, Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets. Where were you the day hip-hop died? Is it too early to mourn? Is it too late to ride?”

Artist Black Half Late Died Hip Hop Pops Rap Hips Too Late Hops Hearted Mourn Half Hearted Rap Artist

Author:Talib Kweli

“We speak the love language, they speak from pain and anguish. Some don't love theyselves, so they perception is tainted.”

Pain Speak Language Perception Hip Hop Rap Anguish Tainted

Author:Talib Kweli

“When I met you it was magic... We polar opposites, but attracted like we was magnets.”

Magic Mets Opposites Hip Hop Rap Magnet Polar Opposites

Author:Talib Kweli

“A flower that grow in the ghetto know more about survival than the one from fresh meadows.”

Knows Grows Flower Survival Hip Hop Rap Ghetto Meadows

Author:Talib Kweli

“Life without knowledge is death in disguise.”

Hip Hop Rap Disguise

Author:Talib Kweli

“You gotta get back to your essence, Use your gifts and share your presence, Don't count your dollars 'til you count your blessings.”

Use Share Blessing Essence Dollars Hip Hop Rap Get Back Your Presence Count Your Blessings

Author:Talib Kweli

“They hope for the Apocalypse like a self-fulfilling prophecy Tell me when do we stop it? Do they ask you your religion before you rent an apartment? Is the answer burning Korans so that we can defend Islamics?”

Self Asks Answers Hip Hop Rap Burning Apartment Fulfilling Prophecy Apocalypse Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Author:Talib Kweli

“Who you? Your name smaller than fine grains in couscous It's the highest calibre, your calibre is deuce deuce”

Names Fine Highest Hip Hop Grain Deuces Couscous

Author:Talib Kweli

“A true artist does not depend on radio for success. A true fan does not let radio determine what they support”

Inspirational Doe Success Artist Music Support Fans Depends Entrepreneur Determine Hip Hop Radio Rapper True Artists

Author:Talib Kweli

About the Author

Born: October 3, 1975
Known for: Rapper
Quotes: 150

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