Post by fugees-online on Jan 4, 2006 20:09:20 GMT 1
Talib Kweli
Right About Now
Koch Records; 2005
When people say Talib Kweli’s name (Kweli!), two separate personas come to mind: a ferociously quick-witted “thinking man’s MC”, and a rapper trapped in purgatory between the planes of mainstream and underground hip-hop. This dualistic nature has brought Kweli both success and denigration—while his early contributions are often earmarked classic, many devotees refused to bump 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle, his most “commercially viable” work. With Right About Now, Kweli re-establishes his mic-eating abilities, but falls a bit short of matching past achievements.
Right About Now brings it back to what Kweli does best—dropping clever rhymes with a decidedly didactic spin. The title track relies on a hi-fi bass line and sauntering drums as Kweli details his experiences in the music industry; the song also features some Rick James-ish adlibs from Dave Chappelle. “Fly That Knot” is the best example of the well-crafted charisma displayed on 1998’s Black Star and 2000’s Reflection Eternal. The Saturday morning kung fu showcase beat and contagious chorus complement Kweli’s well-timed flow. The track is unexpectedly Doomed at the end, with everyone’s favorite masked marauder spitting an avant-verse.
“Supreme Supreme” reunites Kweli with Black Star cohort Mos Def, and the results don’t disappoint. Lively, horn-driven production showcases how the MLB MCs make other duos look like Bush Leaguers. “The Beast” also features some raw rhymes from Kweli. Unfortunately, guest rapper/mixtape messiah Papoose doesn’t make much sense when he says shit like “man, I got a brain the size of the most biggest.” There’s no doubt that Pap is nice, but dude sometimes sounds like Big L rapping to himself in his sleep.
“Ms. Hill” is one of the most ambitious efforts on the album. A bold Ben Kweller (yes, Ben Kweller) sample backs Kweli as he laments over the rapid ascent and subsequent meltdown of a certain former Fugee (not Pras). This is far from a diss track, however; the MC expresses his immense respect for Lauryn’s talents, and suggests that her genius has been marginalized by the media (“you give us hope, you give us faith/you the one/they don’t like what you got to say, but still they beg you to come”).
Although the album features some standout cuts, the individual tracks don’t transition well, creating some disjointed moments. This is mostly due to the fact that Right About Now is being promoted as a Koch-tastic “mix CD” and not an “official” full-length. Despite the record’s harried feel, it features some of Kweli’s best performances in years. While he may not be able to escape the nit-picky criticisms of purists or the all-pervading ignorance of the mainstream majority, Kweli will always have a core group of fans willing to chill in the middle along with him.
– Drew Lazor
source: www.okayplayer.com/reviews/
Right About Now
Koch Records; 2005
When people say Talib Kweli’s name (Kweli!), two separate personas come to mind: a ferociously quick-witted “thinking man’s MC”, and a rapper trapped in purgatory between the planes of mainstream and underground hip-hop. This dualistic nature has brought Kweli both success and denigration—while his early contributions are often earmarked classic, many devotees refused to bump 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle, his most “commercially viable” work. With Right About Now, Kweli re-establishes his mic-eating abilities, but falls a bit short of matching past achievements.
Right About Now brings it back to what Kweli does best—dropping clever rhymes with a decidedly didactic spin. The title track relies on a hi-fi bass line and sauntering drums as Kweli details his experiences in the music industry; the song also features some Rick James-ish adlibs from Dave Chappelle. “Fly That Knot” is the best example of the well-crafted charisma displayed on 1998’s Black Star and 2000’s Reflection Eternal. The Saturday morning kung fu showcase beat and contagious chorus complement Kweli’s well-timed flow. The track is unexpectedly Doomed at the end, with everyone’s favorite masked marauder spitting an avant-verse.
“Supreme Supreme” reunites Kweli with Black Star cohort Mos Def, and the results don’t disappoint. Lively, horn-driven production showcases how the MLB MCs make other duos look like Bush Leaguers. “The Beast” also features some raw rhymes from Kweli. Unfortunately, guest rapper/mixtape messiah Papoose doesn’t make much sense when he says shit like “man, I got a brain the size of the most biggest.” There’s no doubt that Pap is nice, but dude sometimes sounds like Big L rapping to himself in his sleep.
“Ms. Hill” is one of the most ambitious efforts on the album. A bold Ben Kweller (yes, Ben Kweller) sample backs Kweli as he laments over the rapid ascent and subsequent meltdown of a certain former Fugee (not Pras). This is far from a diss track, however; the MC expresses his immense respect for Lauryn’s talents, and suggests that her genius has been marginalized by the media (“you give us hope, you give us faith/you the one/they don’t like what you got to say, but still they beg you to come”).
Although the album features some standout cuts, the individual tracks don’t transition well, creating some disjointed moments. This is mostly due to the fact that Right About Now is being promoted as a Koch-tastic “mix CD” and not an “official” full-length. Despite the record’s harried feel, it features some of Kweli’s best performances in years. While he may not be able to escape the nit-picky criticisms of purists or the all-pervading ignorance of the mainstream majority, Kweli will always have a core group of fans willing to chill in the middle along with him.
– Drew Lazor
source: www.okayplayer.com/reviews/
