And again, I sent him a song, and he sent me back a verse immediately. We’ve kept in contact, but we had never worked together and he asked me to be on this mixtape and I used that as an opportunity to ask him if he wanted to do a song with me. He came up to me and he was a huge Black Star fan. I met him in Miami at a nightclub years ago when he had “Hustlin’” out. Rick Ross contacted me to be on mixtape that he was doing last year. Then I ran into him at a Vegas nightclub and we partied together, and then we promised we would do a record together. Waka Flocka and I met at Hot 97 Summer Jam. TK: I didn’t have a tough time hooking up with either one of them. JD: How has your relationship with Rick Ross and Waka Flocka developed? Waka Flocka and Rick Ross make music that works very well in a strip club, but they also really love the authentic true hip-hop that hip-hop purists worship. They listen to me, and they like real hip-hop. There’s a lot of critique in “real hip-hop” circles about artists like Rick Ross and Waka Flocka, but even if you don’t like their music, they like my music. TK: I mean there is certainly a fraternity amongst artists who respect the culture. Both Rick Ross and Waka Flocka appear on the album. JD: Seems like you didn’t have problems getting collaborators who do get radio play these days. The radio could be silent my career will be fine. It’s like essentially not being worried about what gets played on the radio.
The idea behind Radio Silence is I’m making music I want to make without being at all worried about status in the industry. You have to go around and spend a lot of money and shake all the DJs’ hands and do all this political stuff, and I’m just at the point in my career, I’ve built enough culture consciously where my fans know where to find me and they come to me. There’s a lot that goes into competing with artists that are on the radio that are trendy right now. Talib Kweli: I’ve spent my whole career being very competitive within the music industry, and a few years ago I made a conscious decision to focus more on building an industry around myself rather than participate in the music industry. Jesse Ducker: So what’s the science behind the album’s title, Radio Silence? Kweli recently took the time to talk with me and shared his thoughts on his new album, his children’s musical talents, partying in the White House with the Obamas, and dealing with its current occupant. It’s tough and often intellectually challenging music, which is always needed. He drops knowledge with Rick Ross on “Heads Up, Eyes Open,” gets lit with Waka Flocka on “Chips,” and does his love song thing with “Let It Roll.” Then there’s “She’s My Hero,” a gut-wrenching song dedicated to Bresha Meadows, which provides a detailed account of the alleged abuse that the then 15-year-old girl sustained at the hands of her father, before shooting and killing him. Kweli traverses a variety of topics on the 11-track Radio Silence. It’s being released on Kweli’s own imprint, Javotti Media, distributed through Duck Down Records, and sold through, a website dedicated to his music and associated acts and projects. underground pioneer/legend Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship fame. Paak and BJ The Chicago Kid to mainstream stalwarts like Rick Ross and Waka Flocka to the L.A. The album features contributions from past collaborators like Jay Electronica to new musical sensations like Anderson. He works with a wide array of producers, including The Alchemist, Ohno, Kaytranada, Robert Glasper, Quincy Tones, and J Lbs. Radio Silence is another solid entry into his discography, a thoughtful album that often relies on live instrumentation in the production department. Radio Silence isn’t even the first project he’s released in 2017 earlier this year, he dropped the extremely dope EP The Seven with fellow NYC veteran Styles P. Yasiin Bey, a pair of albums as a member of Reflection Eternal (in partnership with Hi-Tek), and collaborative albums with producers 9th Wonder and Madlib. As he prepares to unveil his eighth solo album Radio Silence this Friday, November 17th, he’s aware that it’s harder to get “mainstream” attention for his music, but knows he’s built a solid following adept at seeking him out and hearing what he has to say.Ī particularly prolific artist over the last 20 years, Talib Kweli Greene has delivered over a dozen projects during his career, comprised of his solo albums, the classic Black Star album with kindred spirit Mos Def a.k.a.
After over two decades making hip-hop music, the admittedly outspoken, Brooklyn-born hip-hop artist is making his voice heard through his records, his activism, and his Twitter account.
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