QTheQuestion.com

By: Zac “Redhands” Shull

The name Talib Kweli rings bells for all hip-hop fans. When you have been in the game for over 10 years you gain a lot of fans. When you have worked with some of the best people in there respective fields, (Dave Chappelle in comedy, Hi Tek in production, Mos Def in acting, hip-hop) you gain even more fans.

I talked with Kweli about how he met some of his colleagues, about him becoming the biggest boss you’ve seen thus far (unlike that other guy) and most importantly the man himself Talib Kweli.

After reading this interview you will see a side of Talib you haven’t seen yet. Watch as we talk about his son (Kid Legion) becoming the next biggest rapper once he gets his grades up, what it was like getting a deal for his own label and all the new music he has lined up for the fans in 2009.

Redhands: You have been around over a decade in the game what has changed in hip hop music?

Talib Kweli: A lot has changed a whole bunch. The most noticeable is the fact that the industry doesn’t really exist as artist don’t need labels as much. Artists are more responsible for their own career then ever before.

Redhands: How did you hook up with Hi-Tek?

Talib Kweli: I met him through my roommate named Devine whose from Cincinnati. I went to visit him at home and he was working with Hi-Tek and we just clicked.

Redhands: Are you guys putting out a new “Reflection Eternal” soon?

Talib Kweli: Yep it’s coming out this summer.

Redhands: So how did Blackstar come together?

Talib Kwei: Hi Tek and I put out a single and Mos Def put his first single out around the same time. He was on our first single so we started doing a lot of shows together. We all just kind of clicked together and I already knew Mos Def from around my neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Redhands: I personally hate when people label hip-hop different things like gangsta, back pack, and conscious. Do you think you have surpassed a so called “conscious mc” to now you are just a musician?

Talib Kweli: I think those terms are used by people not invested in the culture. If you understand hip-hop you know it doesn’t need a category. The audiences are smarter now they can see through a marketing plan or through the fakeness.

Redhands: What was it like signing your label deal for BlackSmith with Warner Brothers?

Talib Kweli: It felt great at first it was suppose to just release my album “Ear Drum” and Jean Graes cds. Now we have Strong Arm Steady, my group Idol Worship (Talib, Res and Graph) an artist from Toronto not the one from Jamaica Queens), Arms and Hammer, some stuff with John Forte, and my solo stuff.

Redhands: What made you want to sign Strong Arm Steady?

Talib Kweli: I met them through Xzibit and their work ethic reminded me of myself. There work ethic is crazy and they have potential with the right backing to be the West Coast version of Dipset for Southern California.

Redhands: Xzibit is not in the group though right?

Talib Kweli: Yea he’s not in it.

Redhands: Are we starting to see Talib the C.E.O/Businessman?

Talib Kweli: God willing, I don’t have no choice, but to support the artist I believe in. I would want someone to do that for me.

Redhands: How important do you think it is that rappers step up and start running labels and become C.E.O’s and A&R’s and such?

Talib Kweli: Its mandatory at this point if your not running your own shit then you not really doing it. You got to be on top of your business you have no choice, but to run your own business.

Redhands: I used to intern at S.M.T Studios how important is it to you to record at a home base working with the same people?

Talib Kweli: It is very important, I like working with the engineers at S.M.T.S. and they add to my sound. They know me personally and they know my sound. They know what I want before I want it.

Redhands: One time you left the studio to go pick up your kids and you brought them to the studio. Do you think your kids are interested in doing music as a career?

Talib Kweli: My son raps his rap name is Kid Legend and he does his thing. He’s got to get his grades up right now tho.

Redhands: Haha, O yea? So no rapping unless his grades are good enough?

Talib Kweli: His grades are decent, but they need to be stellar if he wants to rap.

Redhands: So that’s like his punishment if he doesn’t do good in school?

Talib Kweli: I can’t take music away as a punishment but what I can do is not take him serious until his grades are up.

Redhands: Do they listen to your stuff or hip hop in general?

Talib Kweli: Yeah my son’s favorite song is that new Mims joint. I am always in both my kids top 5 though definitely.

Redhands: I asked your daughter if she wanted to watch T.V. and she said no she wanted to go on the internet. How important are things like blogs and putting videos up?

Talib Kweli: For hip-hop and rock I think its pretty mandatory. Not all genres are up on it like we are. As artist you have to promote and market yourself to the people on the internet.

Redhands: Don’t you think all this Internet-thuggery is getting out of hand now that anyone with a camera can be on worldstarhiphop.com and such?

Talib Kweli: That stuff is so corny and fraudulent if you don’t pay attention to it. It’ll go away cause it’s not real.

Redhands: Where do you see hip-hop going in the future?

Talib Kweli: Where ever the people take it to. Whatever the people are doing or talking about that’s where it will go. Hip-hop’s going to live with the people, its not strong without the people.

Redhands: I feel like its dying down, because it is just one big soap opera now do you feel that way at all? Is it losing its popularity?

Talib Kweli: It’s not as popular as it was a couple years ago. It kind of became a caricature of itself. It is gonna go where the people go, it lives with the people.

Redhands: Do you think it will come back a full circle and some new guys will step up?

Talib Kweli: Yea hopefully, but the new guys gotta have their own sounds. Hip-Hop musicians are bored with it so they are experimenting with other genres. As long as people are good at Hip-Hop and they can’t be fronted on it will be good.

Redhands: So do you follow the new class like Kid Cudi, Wale, Drake, and Asher Roth?
Talib Kweli: Yea definitely, as long as they can rock I follow them. Drake can rock his ass off, Wale is really crazy.

Redhands: I’ve seen you in concert in Philly probably like four times how many months out of the year are you on tour?

Talib Kweli: Probably around 7 or 8 months even if im in an off year without an album out I still go out and tour.

Redhands: I’ve seen you at pretty much every venue in Philly. You always have a lot of crowd participation like one time you had people come on stage and break dance. Do you do a lot of stuff like that at your shows?

Talib Kweli:I try to make the shows interactive and historical. I try to give you a Hip Hop experience every show. Every tour I try to come up with some new ideas for the crowds to get involved.

Redhands: What do you think has hurt Hip-Hop is it to commercial or to many people doing it?

Talib Kweli: It is not hurting hip-hop it is just in a new place. We don’t want to see it disrespected, but we don’t want to focus on the negative. We still should celebrate the people we have like Lil Wayne and Kanye West, because they are still holding it down.

Redhands: Did you help Kanye and introduce him to people?

Talib Kweli: He’s responsible for his own success, but I probably just noticed early on how good he was.

Redhands: What is your biggest record you think?

Talib Kweli: “Get By” would definitely be one of them. It depends on what period of time you are talking about. It could be when I worked with Dave Chappelle or with Mos Def or Hi Tek or Kanye West. These are all people who helped me with my success.

Redhands: You were rocking with Dave Chappelle early in his career right?

Talib Kweli: Yea he was on “Quality” and Reflection Eternal. I have known him awhile and he’s a real good dude. I was in his movie “Block Party” and I still talk to him once in a while. We are often in the same city, because we both tour a lot. Dave has added to my life ways I couldn’t ever imagine. I performed on his show the song “Around My Way” with John Legend before John came out. The network didn’t understand what we were trying to do so they didn’t air it. Dave aired it later on when he did his lost episodes. I also did “Get By” on another episode by the Brooklyn bridge.

Redhands:Word association: I am gonna say a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind.

Redhands: Philly?

Talib Kweli: 215.

Redhands: Q the Question:

Talib Kweli:Aw man the word I cant think of. What’s the name of his artist?

Redhands: Trel Mack? You mess with Trel?

Talib Kweli: Yea I like Trel, he can rock, but Q Is on his grind with Trel. He really tries hard to get his music out to people.

Redhands: Yea your on the intro of his mixtape The New Dynasty doing a drop I thought that was cool.

Redhands: Reflection eternal?

Talib Kweli: Classic!

Redhand: Brooklyn?

Talib Kweli: Biggie.

Redhands: The last word has to be Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli: ummm

Redhands: I would say a monster

Talib Kweli: What did you say?

Redhands: I would say a monster.

Talib Kweli: Haha ok I’ll go with that one. Make sure you write that you say that.

Redhands: Is there anything you want to promote?

Talib Kweli: I really really want to make sure I promote my new website called www.yearoftheblacksmith.com. It is set up for artist to put up blogs and music kind of like myspace and facebook. It’s more so for us in the hip-hop culture and people who mess with my label. Like people who like my group Idol Worship which is more dance or they like underground stuff like Jay Electronica. It is really interactive with all the people on my label actually being on there. I want to encourage people to experience it with us. It is a social network site for hip-hop lovers and artist.

Redhands: Ok and you got “Reflection Eternal” in the summer and when is Strong Arm Steady coming out?

Talib Kweli: Both will be out by the summer time.

Redhands: So are we going to see like a Blacksmith tour this summer?

Talib Kweli: Well we just did a Blacksmith showcase at South By Southwest that was really big. We had John Forte come on stage and rock with us. Strong Arm Steady, Idol Worship, and Reflection Eternal performed. We are trying to bring that across the country.

Redhands: Are you working with John Forte?

Talib Kweli: He doesn’t have a deal yet, but he’s a good friend of mine so I working on him with music.

Redhand: Any last thoughts or words of inspiration?

Talib Kweli: Keep doing it and don’t let know no one hold you back or tell you what to do. Its important you don’t let someone tell you what you are doing right or what you are doing wrong.

Redhands: Thanks for taking the time out on behalf of me and Quentin and Qthequestion.com. Good Luck with everything.

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