My Saturday night was capped off by seeing Talib Kweli perform at BC…Now, I’ve seen him three times before, but this was by far the best. I don’t know if the latest politics have gotten him riled up or what but he was on fire (one of my favorite lines from the night was “my name’s hard to pronounce like Barrrrrrack Obama!”).
To my friends who aren’t into hip-hop, he very well could make you change your mind. I’m not going to spout all the typical “conscious rapper” crap that everyone talks about Kweli, because that’s not all it’s about. Mos Def, KRS-One, Ras Kass, etc etc are all “conscious” too, but that’s not what draws me to Kweli, rather, it’s the fact that he has no affect whatsoever. When he rhymes, he is who he is. Also, he had his kids up on stage with him throughout the whole show, just chilling in the back dancing along but unobtrusively. At his shows, he makes you feel like a friend from the neighborhood, rather than a simple audience member.
Afterward we hit up Charlesmark which, with its padded walls and all, is reminiscent somehow of both Pacha and a mental health facility.
2 replies on “Talib Kweli @ BC”
Sweet night out. Love Kweli’s ryhmes, you’re right that he’s real. Cool that part about his kids though.
I really appreciated your observation about Talib Kweli having his kids onstage throughout the show—just dancing quietly in the background. That small detail says a lot about his groundedness and authenticity as an artist. It’s rare to see performers bring that kind of family presence into a live set without making it a spectacle. Thanks for capturing that moment.