Talib Kweli
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Talib Kweli (born 1975) is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York City. As a youth, he was drawn to Afrocentric rappers, such as De La Soul and other members of the Native Tongues Posse and soon began recording with producer Hi Tek and rapper Mos Def.
With Mos Def (the pair were known together as Black Star), Kweli achieved some mainstream success with Black Star (1998, see 1998 in music). While Mos Def went on to a solo career, Kweli released Reflection Eternal with Hi Tek in 2000 (see 2000 in music), which sold better than most alternative rap albums at the time. He has since released a critically acclaimed solo debut, Quality, in 2002 (see 2002 in music). In 2004, Talib Kweli released his second solo album, "The Beautiful Struggle", which features production more akin to commercial rap, while Kweli's lyrical content retains its powerful social-political quality.