Talib Kweli - Kweli: Confidential...The Best Of Talib Kweli

MIXTAPE REVIEW



HHH/LNN Official Rating: 3.5/5
Lyrics Rating: 4/5
Beats Rating: 3.5/5
Music Quality: 4/5


- by the god Dirty Backpacks






It's 2006, and the god has been a very busy TV producer. Sorry - but with Late Nite Noise in full swing and the website poppin' (check us out at Lnn4life.com), my grind on the reviews has fallen somewhat a bit lower on the priority list. But I ain't forgot about y'all - and thanks to all the HHH faihful who've checked out my show's website and signed up as members of the LNN Forums! Keep it up, and make sure you check out the members page after you sign up with your username and password - we offer a free download for members each month!

Anyways, in 2006 we've decided to expand our reviews - mixtapes now get the review treatment as well! And the first one I'mma look at is one of the top lyricists in the game, the one and only Talib Kweli. Not content to sit on the laurels of his recent Koch release (what up, Sean Rock!) Right About Now, he returns with Kweli: Confidential, a collection of relatively recent hits and underground bangers that many true Kweli heads will recognize and appreciate.

Any collection of songs with Talib Kweli, by rule, cannot be wack. And this Dave Dar-mixed collection is no exception to the rule. Starting off the album with a Reflection Eternal banger like "The Time Is Now" sets the tone for the album, as you know exactly what you're getting here - Kweli spittin' heat and knowledge over a minimalist Hi-Tek beat, and we even get a little bonus by hearing Tek spit some lines himself. But by the time you get to the next track, the collabo with Rakim "Subway Surfin" off of the upcoming Marc Ecko video game Gettin' Up, you'd have to be comatose to not have your head nodding off this dream pairing of two of the illest MCs, old and new.

The album continues with various tracks Kweli's done in the past 2 years - the exquisite "Crystal Stair" with Brooklyn's own Smiff N Wessun; the revolutionary Black power anthem "Ridin" with David Banner and dead prez, and the Black Eyed Peas surprising banger "Like That" with Kweli, Q-Tip, John Legend and Cee-Lo. In fact, what this mixtape may exemplify the best is exactly how nice and versatile Kweli truly is, and how nicely he flows with all types of cats - Dirty South, NYC, West Coast, underground, mainstream, newbies, lgends - you name it, he rides every track with evey guest MC and singer superbly.

While this is definitely an album any Kweli head will want to own, and could be used as a perfect introduction to this living legend for those who inexplicably may not be familiar with how doe this due is, the album loses marks for me for one simple fact - part of the mixtape's name is "The Best Of Talib Kweli". If you know anything about Kweli, it is impossible to name an album "Best Of" without a track containing the mighty Mos Def. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are arguably the illest lyrical duo around today, and to not have at least one of their many classics they've done on here is an inxcusable sin. Likewise, to not contain a track with my favorite female MC, Jean Grae, is kind of hard to swallow as well. I understand there was already a previously released "Best Of Kweli" mixtape, but it's still disappointing to see that "Best Of" name used without the inclusion of certain songs that come to the mind of any real Kweli fan. For that alone, I had to take .5 off of my final grade.

But that lone criticism not withstanding, I would classify this as a must-have in your collection. Especially for any of Hip Hop fans who have engaged in the argument that NY ain't representing in recent times - you might change your mind if you listen to this collection of Kweli-ty bangers. And this CD shows Talib in top lyrical form.

Big up to Dave Dar for hittin' us with the exclusive. You can buy the album at mixunit.com. Trust me - it's worth coppin', if for nothing more than the dope collabo "We can Make It Better". You wont be able to stop rockin' this song if you'e a fan of mid-90s Hip Hop.

I'm baaaack...



Track List


1. DJ Chaps Intro [3]
2. The Time Is Now feat. Reflection Eternal [3]
3. Subway Surfing w/Rakim [4]
4. Mauricio Freestyle feat. DJ Khalil [3]
5. Fly That Knot [3.5]
6. Beef II w/Murda Mook [3]
7. On Top w/Krondon [4]
8. Who Got It [3]
9. Crystal Stair w/Tek & Steele [4]
10. Stay High Freestyle w/Ras Kass [3]
11. How We Do It w/Hi-Tek, Slim Thug & Snoop Dogg [3.5]
12. None Of Us Are Free w/Bun B. [3.5]
13. Ridin' w/David Banner & dead prez [5]
14. Fallin' Star [4]
15. Hot Nite - Michelle N'degocello [4.5]
16. Temperature w/Zion I [4]
17. We Can Make It Better w/Kanye West, Q-Tip, Common & Rhymefest [4.5]
18. Old School Rules w/DangerDoom (Danger Mouse & MF Doom) [4.5]
19. Raw Sh*t w/Jaylib (Jay Dee & Madlib) [3.5]
20. Like That w/Black Eyed Peas, Q-Tip, John Legend & Cee-Lo [4.5]
21. Music (remix) feat. Leela James [4]



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