Talib Kweli

Released: November 19, 2002

Songwriter: Talib Kweli Dave Chappelle Eric Krasno

Producer: Eric Krasno

[Dave Chappelle: Talking]
A keynote speaker's about to come on now
I just wanted to say a few words about him
And you all know who he is
Talib Kweli
Please, hold your applause 'til the end

We are glad to come and hear you speak
We love it
Kweli doesn't like me to talk about this
But one time we were drivin'
Through the Mississippi Delta

And there was a brotha running up the side of the road
And he didn't have any shoes on, he didn't have a shirt on
And I started to drive right by this man; Kweli said
"Stop the car, because that brotha might be in trouble"

And I stopped the car, Kweli said to the man
He said, "Brotha, are you okay? Do you need a ride somewhere?"
And the man looked at Kweli and said,"Shhhh, I'm escaping"

And Kweli took him by the hand and said, "My brotha
You didn't get the memo, we have been free for some time now"
Well, I'm windin' it up

Please welcome a good friend, scholar
Ghetto philosopher, three time Nobel Peace Prize winner
First black man to pilot an air craft
The nigga that made up the Nike Swoosh
The man that made Kool Aid say, "Oh Yeah!"
Brooklyn's own, Talib Kweli

If skills sold, Talib Kweli would have been one of the most commercially successful rappers of his time. As it was, however, the earnest MC became one of the most critically successful rappers of his time, which dawned in the late ‘90s when he rapped alongside Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def) and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star.

Talib is known for his numerous collaborations with other artists like Kanye West, Common, Madlib, Bilal, The Roots, Dead Prez, Q-Tip, John Legend, the list is endless. He has also embraced a whole new generation like Blu, Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, and Ab-Soul.

Kweli has recently spearheaded a direct-to-fan means of distributing his music via his new site #KweliClub. Check it out to get his latest music including many free downloads.

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