Talib Kweli

his background and the high levels of racism he experienced, he had the courage and ambition to follow his dreams and reject the traditional pathway to success (education). While education was my primary pathway to success, the message of me against the world struck a chord. I very much felt out of place in white suburbia and new england prep schools because my story and my struggle was so different. Kanye understood that, and knowing that I felt the same way as someone else who was black and raised in a black culture brought me a sense of validity and relaxation when times were tough. I always felt like Kanye was helping me find myself, and I saw him advancing the commentary and struggle of persons like Common (a fellow Chicagoan) and Talib Kweli in his own manner. This was clear to me through collaborations between the artists and the fact that out of all three Kanye was the closest to me - young, talented and full of questions about what being Black in America means. Despite Kanye’s litany of absurd acts since my early introduction to him I felt validated in the same manner when he helped Chance the Rapper to further his message for social change over the past year. Coming out in support of Donald Trump has made me question the validity and acceptance Kanye West gave me. It makes me think, what exactly IS the message that Kanye is trying to communicate? I would never in a million years expect Kanye to support a person who has been so openly oppressive of cultures which…

Ms. Hill The cultural context that I choose is a song called “Ms.Hill”, written by rapper and songwriter Talib Kweli. This song was released in 2005 and it speaks about his admiration toward his iconic friend, Lauryn Hill, a rapper, singer, songwriter, and poet. She’s also known from the 1992 comedy film, Sister Act starting Whoopi Goldberg. This song expresses admiration toward Lauryn Hill’s ways of not conforming to the ways of the music industry as well as creating her own style of music,…

The essence of being proud of oneself without approval from the external world is a certain affair that Talib Kweli, a group member of Black Star, holds African-American society responsible for. Notably, Kweli declares that the black community is “findin’ beauty in the hideous” and are “still livin’ like mental slaves” as they are conforming to the idea of “the law of the bluest eye.” This law allows white civilization to reign supreme by restricting the blacks aptitude to mould their own…

statement. Lombardo continued, "This season, we're honored to collaborate with Carmelo Anthony, today's digital athlete, on this unprecedented experiential look into the cross-section of fashion, sports, and technology." The NBA All-Star is the co-founder of Melo7 Tech Partners, which invests in technological advancements in sports and media. "I'm very excited and honored to present this initiative in collaboration with MADE, Accenture, KATALYST LIVE, and Intel," Anthony said in a statement.…

perpetuated in society. The same can be said for gender inequality. Some mainstream hip-hop songs are starkly sexist and paint women as objects to be won or as solely sexual conquests. There certainly is danger in regarding mainstream hip-hop as the only form of hip-hop and then generalizing an entire community or culture based upon what we hear in popular hip-hop tracks. As my 7th grade English teacher once said, assuming something to be true doesn’t make it true, it only makes you the first…

In the case of Michael Brown’s racially charged murder, not many black celebrities spoke out. One would see Missouri native and rapper Nelly on the streets of Ferguson showing support for the cause. R&B artist John Legend took to Twitter to express his feelings on the situation, and rapper Talib Kweli followed suit by traveling to Ferguson and live tweeting everything that he observed. He also gives an interview on CNN. But this leads one to wonder: Where’s Beyoncé on the matter? Where’s the…

April Lee Hemandez. April was the perfect actress for this part because she had a hard look on her face as if she knew she was bad and didn’t care what people had to say. Imelda Staunton from the Harry Potter movie series, Maleficent and much more was Margaret Campbell. In the movie, Margaret is one of the main people who does not like what Gruwell. Imelda was an excellent addition to the movie. She had that hard-strict face, one that meant work and no joking around. The directing was marvelous,…

” another heartfelt song dedicated to Michael Brown and Ferguson, Los Angeles rapper The Game, alongside all-star rappers like Diddy and Rick Ross, unites against racial and social injustice. The sales from the song raised over $300,000 towards the Mike Brown Memorial Fund. "It 's really important to see hip-hop 's role of being some grown-ups and doing some really stand-up, grown-up stuff," Chuck D says in an interview with Billboard Magazine. "I don 't believe everyone has a role for this,…

nominated Soul artist "Estelle". Slim Gypsy Baggage: Playing a blend of Rock, Country/Americana, Roots, and straight out Blues, this four-piece band from Michigan has created their own unique sound. They have been featured on NPR and have toured extensively in the Midwest. Cole DeGenova: With a groove-laden sound that resembles a soul/pop concert, a South Side jazz club, and a slam poetry reading at a punk rock dive bar rolled into one, this charismatic and eclectic Chicago singer/keyboardist…

America. Furthermore, I found the Black Power Mixtape to focus on the Northeastern standpoints of Black Power. Nevertheless, this lead to many of the leaders naturally aligning with the ideologies of Malcolm over Martin. However, the film served to place the importance of the leaders such as Malcolm and Martin in the overall timeline of the Civil Rights. The importance of these leaders led to more voices in the movement and more groups fighting for the end of racial oppression in America.…