Mainstream success is not for certain artists. They are often asked to dilute, damn, and eventually damn their product. One artist who structurally refuses to compromise is rapper Talib Kweli, who has been active in the release of Revolutions Per Minute for over ten years. His goal has remained the same since the records Black Star (1998), Train Of Thought (2000) and Quality (2002), namely to get
… his people out of the age-old valley. Kweli is the type of rapper who is never misogynistic, is only too happy to deal with 'fake' rappers and often criticizes the music industry. Fans have been shy about a Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek) for ten years, but at RPM the rapper shows a sincerity that we miss in the majority of hip-hop albums. Hi-Tek has specially pulled his records with African drums and soul samples out of the closet to lay a strong foundation. The level on the first RE-cd Train Of Thought was so high that it makes no sense, and is not fair, to compare the two. 'You can like rap again!' says Kweli and that's just the way it is! (GL)more
