Talib Kweli American rapper Date of Birth: 03.10.1975 Country: USA

Biography of Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli, an American rapper, was born on October 3, 1975, in Brooklyn. His father was a sociology professor, and his mother taught English, so it's no surprise that they named their son "Talib," which translates to "student" in Arabic. Interestingly, Talib is the only one in his family who did not follow their "academic" path. His brother, Jamal, teaches constitutional law at Columbia University's law school.

Talib Kweli received his education at a middle school in Connecticut before transferring to Brooklyn Technical High School. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Experimental Theater Arts program at New York University. It was during his time at NYU that Talib Kweli met Dante Smith (better known as Mos Def) and Tony Cottrell (DJ Hi-Tek). By then, Talib was already writing lyrics and composing music. Their meeting led to the creation of the project "Black Star".

In 1998, the musicians released their first album, "Mos Def And Talib Kweli Are Black Star." The album received significant attention and became one of the most discussed music events. "Black Star" attempted to revive the traditions of the "golden age" of hip-hop, working in the style of "Eric B & Rakim" and "KRS-One". However, this studio recording, although quite successful, became the first and last for the trio. The paths of the musicians gradually diverged: Dante Smith decided to focus on television work, while Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek continued to work together for some time, recording the album "Reflection Eternal". The album mainly received positive reviews from critics, and the general public ensured commercial success for "Reflection Eternal" by buying the album enthusiastically. Talib Kweli became a prominent figure in the alternative rap music scene.

In 2002, Talib Kweli released his second album, "Quality" (by that time, DJ Hi-Tek had already started a solo career). The hit from the new album, "Get By," held top positions in the charts for several months, and Talib Kweli's unique sound and lyrical lyrics ensured the album's tremendous success. After "Quality," Talib established a reputation as a true hip-hop poet, and the magazine "The Source" awarded him the title of "Lyricist Of The Year". Since then, Talib Kweli has firmly held the title of "king of underground rap." However, unlike most representatives of this "underground" genre, Kweli has been quite successful commercially.

On May 9, 2009, Talib Kweli married techno artist DJ Eque. They had been dating for about two years. Immediately after the wedding, Talib returned to the studio to continue working on his new album.