Word: talib
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Kandahar, the Taliban's hometown and Omar's heavily guarded lair. He doesn't even like his title of mullah, which means "giver of knowledge." Having been yanked out of the seminary to fight the Soviet occupiers of his country, Omar would rather be known as a talib, a "seeker of knowledge," a student...
That's a cry that surprisingly few black rap acts in America have taken up, with some notable exceptions. The masterly, literate self-titled debut of Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) is a virtual symphony of African internationalism. The group's name alludes to Marcus Garvey's back-to-Africa nationalism, and the lyrics paint a red, green and black mural stretching from Coltrane to Du Bois to Ishmael Reed to Derrick Bell. Brown Skin Lady is a love song both to a woman and to Africa itself ("I know women on the continent got it/Nigeria and Ghana...
Unfortunately for them, they didn't exactly beat anyone to the idea. The past two years have brought an explosion of acts that came real and kept it that way. The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Common and Jurassic 5 have all blown up lately, not to mention fellow L.A. wildmen the Black Eyed Peas...
...that's more personal, political and spiritual than the bulk of what passes for Top-40 rap today. These are young acts but experienced: Q-Tip, 29, is a former member of A Tribe Called Quest and is releasing his first solo effort. Mos Def, 25, has performed with Talib Kweli as the duo Black Star. And the Roots has five albums under its belt; its members have now honed their skills and are ready for prime time...
...fact it may be both. Talib Kweli in "Manifesto" asks, "all the real MC's can meet me outside, so we can decide how we gonna change the tide." Black Star certainly acknowledge the challenge of hip hop--elsewhere, Kweli rhymes "an A&R told me that I use too many catchphrases, true I'm trying to catch all my people in all different stages, all different phases...