Talib Kweli

Released: December 11, 2015

Featuring: Patrick Stump Miguel

Songwriter: Patrick Stump Miguel Talib Kweli

Producer: Farhot

[Intro: Talib Kweli]
Like that right there
It feels so African
Got a little somethin' on my chest
Gotta get it off, gotta get it off

[Hook: Miguel and Patrick Stump]
You say the meanest fuckin' things to me
And I pretend that I don't care
But when it's said and done and the war is won
Your words are all I hear
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo

[Verse 1: Talib Kweli]
Say what you mean, mean what you say
You the meanest girl, you my Tina Fey
Like you out for pain, like you out for shame
But you pout when I call you out your name
Your words burnin' me, you're my bird of prey
When you feed your young, you regurgitate
What I heard you say and reverberate
But I'm a man, gotta show my vertebrae
I'm the kind to wait, you can come through with
You can run to it and get numb to it
Treat you like the Autobahn, just sung to it
Treat you like my favorite song and just jump to it
Girl you waste my bluff when we makin' love
Can't take it, love, you my favorite drug
You my fleur-de-lys, you disturb the peace
Cause you hurtin' me, you turned to me and said
Love is a potion that's fluent, let's keep it movin'
The only thing that's magic is moments, I'm only human
The only thing that's tragic is futures that we can ruin
I pound for couple of hours, double influence
Need a break from the words you're usin'
My love broke my Kevin Hart
Let me explain cause I see what you're doin'
Mama said, "You don't need to stay"
Papa said, "Boy you need to pray", goddamn

[Hook: Miguel and Patrick Stump]
You say the meanest fuckin' things to me
And I pretend that I don't care
But when it's said and done and the war is won
Your words are all I hear
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo

[Verse 2: Talib Kweli]
We can't internalize the things people say to us
But it make you sus, I need a break from us
I used to think your attitude was a major plus
Now the way you talk to me is like we breakin' up
Tryna get into my zone without you makin' a fuss
Like sticks and stones, your words breakin' stuff
They hittin' home, but I can take a punch
I'm your David Lynch, you're my naked lunch
I found space for us, found a place for us
Used to pray for love, used to pray for us
Would've gave you my blood but you gave it up
My heart a house for this love but you sprayed it up
You can't take a brush, comments is tangled up
In a web of emotion that's dangerous
I can't make this up, that shit is lame as fuck
I ain't a slave but I'm out here tryna make a buck
Stayin' on my hustle, I ride around and I spend it
Set it into motion like butterflies to defect it
Tryin' to pretend that the words are never effective
Seem to work for a second but never be worth the effort
I'm a man and they say I ain't s'posed to run on emotions
So I let you get away with more than you were supposed to
I kept it bottled up like a note to float in the ocean
Just stop myself, I'm explodin'

[Hook: Miguel and Patrick Stump]
You say the meanest fuckin' things to me
And I pretend that I don't care
But when it's said and done and the war is won
Your words are all I hear
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo
And they echo

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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