Talib Kweli's "Beautiful Struggle"

Photo credit: MCA Records Talib Kweli: beautiful at times, a struggle at others

If there’s anyone in the rap industry who knows about a "beautiful struggle," then his name must be Talib Kweli.

As half of the rap duo Blackstar, Kweli created considerable buzz in hip-hop’s underground scene in 1998. In 2000, he cemented his status as one of the top lyricists of the underground with the release of "Train of Thought," with producer DJ Hi-Tek. With his official solo debut in 2002, "Quality," Kweli gained more critical acclaim and scored mainstream exposure courtesy of the Kanye West-assisted single, "Get By." Jay-Z even immortalized Kweli with a line in the song "Moment of Clarity" on the retired rapper’s last album.

Everything was going well. Then the struggle began.

In late 2003, Rawkus Records, Kweli’s label, announced it was shutting its doors. To add to his troubles, tracks from Kweli’s forthcoming album were leaked onto the Internet just months before the official release date. To counter the bootlegging, Kweli released "The Beautiful Mix" CD, which was later pulled due to some uncleared samples. With the dust settled, we are left with Kweli’s sophomore offering, "The Beautiful Struggle," wondering whether the music can live up to the story behind it.

As the title suggests, this album can be beautiful at times, and a struggle at others.

The beautiful comes in soulful moments that find Kweli at his conceptual best. On "Ghetto Show," he, Common and Anthony Hamilton paint a picture of Any Ghetto, U.S.A., over a crisp piano loop. The beat doesn’t stand out in this day and age with the rebirth of soul sampling, but it comes across strongly enough to help carry the track. Common outshines Kweli, but that’s to be expected. Jean Grae drops by on the ode to the struggle of a black woman in America, "Black Girl Pain." Both emcees deliver some extremely personal lyrics about their families, all the while expressing a deep understanding of what it means to grow up as a black female. The album’s standout track is a Just Blaze-produced heater in which Kweli explores the world of mature male/female relationships, entitled "Never Been in Love." The hook lets that special lady in his life know just how much she means to him: "I don’t care what people say/ as long as you and me okay."

When the album struggles, it really struggles. On "I Try" and "Around My Way," Kweli tries to recreate the magic of his "Get By" breakthrough single, and fails twice. While Kweli’s consciousness on these tracks never comes into question, the music behind the words does. "I Try" makes you wonder whether Kanye West has anything left in his arsenal. Eerily, the piano loop and drum patters bear a close resemblance to Dilated Peoples’ "This Way," another West concoction. Mary J. Blige’s voice is underutilized on this boring track.

When John Legend tickles the ivories and flexes his pipes on "Around My Way," the results are similar. Even if you can manage to feel the soul coming from the track, it lacks the depth to tug on the heartstrings and make you throw a lighter in the air.

Other production problems come from a usually reliable source, Kweli’s partner, Hi-Tek. He contributes three beats to the album, "Back Up Offa Me," "Work it Out" and "A Game," all of which fail to impress.

Kweli fans will not be disappointed with the artist lyrically, as he brings more than enough of the politically charged, socially conscious rhymes that made him an underground favorite in the first place.

He can do much better, but as with the rest of the album, he just does not choose to. "The Beautiful Struggle" won’t win Kweli any new fans, but it won’t make him lose any, either. His quest to achieve mainstream success won’t stop here. The beautiful struggle continues.

Mychal Smith, a student at Hampton University, writes for The Hampton Script.

Posted Nov. 15, 2004