REVIEW: Talib Kweli -Eardrum
Posted on: September 6, 2007 4 comments so far (is that a lot?)
Review: 3 out of 5
Best Song: Country Cousins
Kweli’s back with Eardrum. As anyone that listens to Talib knows, listening to him is like reading a good book or just being schooled by an old head. He just packs so much insight into a verse its almost difficult to catch everything, add to that the fact his flow isn’t very well thought out and you have the recipe for classic backpack music. We all know Talib is a geek. He has no rhythm, fashion sense, no sense of humor and basically no swag. This alone is why you would either love him or hate him, but you can’t deny that the rap game needs ‘em. He is the most uncompromising artist in hip hop period. This album is alot like Beautiful Struggle without all the backpack club attempts (and better beats), its just straight Talib at his finest, which is rapping about other people’s struggles. Get your own struggles Talib that’s what made your boy Kanye pop-off! Anyway here is the track breakdown.
1. Everything Man (Produced by Madlib)
This is probably the sickest intro to come out in a long time. Talib actually gets his brag on here, in an intellectual sorta way, and the Puerto Rican chick saying she “came all the way from Puerto Rico just to see Talib Kweli” is so believable haha. Plus the beat courtesy of Madlib is big. Best line: “I tried to fit in the same rhyme, but realized I can’t be everything to everyone at the same time”.
2. NY Weather Report (Produced by Nick Speed)
Another neck snapper. This beat is seriously sick. Talib’s beat selection throughout the album is for the most part flawless. The weather metaphor seems kinda gay to me.
3. Hostile Gospel Pt. 1 (Deliver Us) (Produced by Just Blaze)
What would a Talib album be without going at the studio gangsters and asserting his own spot as head backpacker in hiphop. Kweli incorrectly spits, “I call these rappers baby seals cause they club you to death.” Baby seals don’t club anyone, it’s people that club the seals. But hey he must have been high while he wrote that. He also goes on to spew his typical pro-socialist, anti-capitalist rhetoric, which to me sounds totally misguided, not to mention incredibly off-beat.
4. Say Something ft. Jean Grae (Produced By Will.i.am)
I was looking forward to this track as Jean Grae’s verse on “Black Girl Pain” from Beautiful Struggle was incredible. As I was expecting an emotional track, I was disappointed that the two paired up to bruise up “net mcees and beat bloggers”. Grae sounds pissed on this one, like shes ready to slap up Remy Ma. Best Line: “I’m known for kicken niggas out the club like Michael Richards”.
5. Country Cousins ft. U.G.K. & Raheem Devaughn (Produced By AKidCalledRoots and Sha-La Shakier)
Finally a track with a creative concept and some creative guest appearances from those underground kings Pimp C and Bun B. This is hands down the best song on the album and arguably one of the most original songs in hiphop. Talib, Bun B, and Pimp C all come correct on this talking about their respective differences on being from Brooklyn and Port Arthur and how they still got love for both North and South. Ahhh how the civil war should have ended.
6. Holy Moly (Produced by Pete Rock)
WTF. This is the gayest song title in hiphop history and not to mention the worst beat ever. I have no clue how Talib picked this beat out of Pete Rock’s stash. I mean this is Pete Rock. It seems like he made this beat in fruity loops and even recorded the song in there too. Definitely a song this album could have done without, probably only made it for the Pete Rock recognition.
7. Eat to Live (Produced by Madlib)
Whoa. I had no clue Madlib could make beats, cause this joint is banging. This song is okay, it’s like the anthem for the school breakfast club. Again though, Talib is talking about some other people’s struggle, your parent’s are both university professors Talib you ain’t never went to bed hungry man. Be real.
8. In the Mood (Produced by Kanye West)
A respectable jazzy beat courtesy of Mr. West. Talib gets his mack on, which again is so believable. Yeezy pretty much outshines Kweli, but that isn’t a surprise. Really this track has no distinct topic, just some abstract for the hell of it kinda joint. I also have no clue why some old guy comes on at the end of track saying, “wow that was a nice track”. insanity.
Worst Line: “Really these dudes sweeter than mango”
9. Soon the New Day ft. Norah Jones (Produced by Madlib)
Now really Talib gets his mack on. This time though his verses are hot he raps, “the clan of the cave bear, used to use a club to hit her drag her by the hair/ still use a club to get her a martini or a beer/ try to get her home try to put the smell of sex in the air”. Madlib again with a fresh beat. Best line: “Maybe then she’ll realize her own beauty/ baby you star, not just a star in some dudes home movie.”
10. Give ‘Em Hell ft. Coi Mattison & Lyfe Jennings (Produced by Terrace Martin and Battlecat)
Now this song is hella fresh. Finally a rapper openly saying all religions are essentially teaching the same thing and specifically criticizing religion’s (read: Christianity and Islams) role in contributing to the most war’s in human history. Personally, I fully agree with Talib here, religion is just a man-made concept that only seeks to divide us in an already divided world. But I digress.
11. More or Less (Produced by Hi-Tek)
This song is such a banger it’s not even funny. This song could have been on Reflection Eternal. Hook is real nice and Kweli delivers lyrically.
12. Stay Around (Produced by Pete Rock)
A great track about the common criticisms Talib is used to getting. Damn he even addresses his off beat flow, how gay he sounds when getting his mack on, and the debacle that was “Back Up Offa Me” of his last album. Only thing I love more than introspective verses, is when a rapper can get introspective with themselves in the most objective way possible -even when they put themselves under the microscope.
13. Hot Thing (Produced by Will.I.Am)
The second you here this beat you know Will.I.Am produced this cause this sounds like something that Fergie featuring the Platinum Eyed Peas would waggle over. Lyrically, Talib gets his mack on again. Wtf. Is this dude looking for groupies or more groupies? There all studying Talib like your ass should have.
14. Space Fruit (Interlude) (Produced by Sa-Ra)
This is that Starbucks music right here. Not that I’ve ever been. No really, I’m Sooooooo Hood.
15. The Perfect Beat ft. KRS-One (Produced by Swiff D)
This beat ain’t perfect, but it damn sure knocks. Pretty much a song about the beat (yes you read that right) which isn’t a bad idea as the damn instrumental outshines both Professor Kweli and the Blastmaster here. I’m pretty sure KRS-One is going senile.
16. Oh My Stars (Produced by DJ Khalil)
You actually get sucked into this track by some random kid rappen’. This is a cute track about Talib’s daughter. Nothing too serious, just playful lyrics.
17. Listen (Produced by Kwamé)
Polka-dot fresh Kwamé laces Talib here. Beat is bouncing nice. But that’s about it. Lyrics are far from captivating and there really is no subject matter discussed here, we do find out that “blacksmith is the movement”. Nice to know…17 tracks in.
18. Go With Us ft. Strong Arm Steady (Produced by E. Jones)
Another real hot beat with rappers yappen about nothing. Really wtf. Guest appearances do nothing other than show Talib how to flow on beat. But he won’t get it.
19. Hostile Gospel Pt. 2 (Deliver Me) ft. Sizzla (Produced by DJ Khalil)
This song is fire. Talib is in classic form here and the Sizzla feature works. No clue why this is a part 2, part 1 should have just been scrapped.
20. The Nature (Produced by Justin Timberlake, co-produced by Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch)
“Expect the Unexpected” are Kweli’s first words here. Couldn’t have said it better myself. This is JT’s attempt at some artistic integrity and Kweli flexing his networking skills as the rapper uber-commercial artist say they listen to in interviews. Best line: “We in a different world like Dwayne Wayne”.
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4 Responses to “REVIEW: Talib Kweli -Eardrum”
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September 10th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
reading this intro let me know that your not very informed and that you weren’t being objective at all. I’m a huge kweli fan and i understand every song wasn’t perfect cause only a few albums are damn near perfect.
where do you get off sayin talib should speak on his own struggles cause that’s what got kanye poppin? bro…talib was speakin struggle waaay before kanye was…matter of fact, talib helped bring kanye in the mainstream by bringing him on tour when no one else wanted too. they both have mad respect for each other. you don’t think talib knows struggle? dude, he is one of the most single handed underappreciated underpaid hip hop musicians in hip hop man. he coulda quit but he loves hip hop. do you think you have to be from the street to struggle? you don’t have to be from the street to understand how other’s struggle.
You must be from the south if your gonna say country cousins is the best song…ugk must be the only rappers you can relate too. all he talks about here is his outside influences beyond ny.
so what if he raps about other people’s struggles? if he doesn’t who will, lil wayne?
the reason why there is an old guy on “in the mood” is because the instrumentals are by an old guy, NOT KANYE WEST! He helped produce the song but the intrumentals are by roy ayers, a legendary jazz musician.
how isn’t his flow very well thought out? cause he doesn’t talk about money cash hoes? dude, he can rhyme fast slow intelligent or even dumb it down on country cousins for a person such as yourself. that’s what makes him greaat….the fact that he can pack so much in a verse that you gotta rewind it. he doesn’t make club music. my guess is your lyrical intellect is limited to someone like soulja boy.
The “chick” in the first song is an actual poet who actually admires he poetry.
your misinformed…seals do club predators to death….they have big heads and can’t fight much otherwise therefore, the metaphor is correctly used…maybe ur just one of those seals…lol
in “eat to live” your basically saying that cause he’s not from the ghetto that he doesn’t know what its like to starve. first of all son, he’s from brooklyn….if that aint ghetto enuff to you, you don’t know hip hop my miseducated brotha. look man, he’s commentating on the struggle, he’s not identifying and proclaiming that he’s from there. bruce springsteen talked about similar shit even though he wasn’t poor but people understood him…plus you missed one of the points of the damn song which is that his verses provide lyrical nutrition to no nonsense lil john vocabulary slangin youngns.
you got some serious haterade on talib man…like jay says…”if lyrics sold, id be, lyrically talib kweli”
man don’t hate on jt…it’s easy to hate on him just because he was part of n’sync and that he’s not black…dude, he can sing…period. so what of his past. he’s still a good singer. pac was dancin to ballerina shit in school in tights but does that make him a bad rapper? NO!
what’s wrong with “reading a good book”? so what if he sounds like that? hey buddy, that actually means he has a story to tell unlike fake rappers…i guess he’s guilty of keepin it real in hip hop by telling a story…if you hate stories then i guess you luv soilder boys and his struggles as a soilder and lil wayne’s struggles as a suburban youth in htown. i also guess you hate krs-one, rakim, kanye, jay, nas, run-dmc, a tribe called quest and the rest of real hip hop since they tell stories. i’m guessing you like stories that you actuallly understand and that you can judge correctly by the cover. im guessin your a dr. suess fan.
look, im not tryin to promote talib here, im simply stating that your not being objective at all. you don’t seem to have an understanding of hip hop at all. i don’t even know why u wrote this.. is this some cheap trick to lure bloggers to not listen to you. your facts are wrong.
In “listen” there is absolute subject matter being mentioned. he’s talkin about fusing words with melody.
wait…based on this girls pics below, i think i might know where ur comming from. you want stripper music. i bet they could write a better review than you!
September 10th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Hey thanks for your comments thetruth34.
I think Talib’s problem is that he doesn’t talk about his OWN struggles. Therefore it is difficult to relate to him. Kanye’s College Dropout blew him up not only because he had swag and the music was good, but because people could relate to his struggles. “Spaceship” was a first person narrative about working in retail (i.e. The Gap). That song was hot because people could relate to it, it was creative in that no one had ever made a song about working a shitty retail job and because the actual music was good. It doesn’t matter what your struggle is, as long as it’s yours. I hate it when rappers talk about struggles that ain’t theres just like when “gangster” rappers talk about selling coke when they never did.
Despite giving Talib an ok review. I am still a big fan of Talib as the most uncompromising artist in hiphop who speaks his mind no matter what, I loved some of the songs on his last disc “beautiful struggle” such as “Going Hard”, “Around My Way”, “Ghetto Show”, “Black Girl Pain”, “Never Been in Love” and “Beautiful Struggle”.
His latest album has its moments, but you get the picture from reading the review.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
thanks for responding.
why is it difficult to relate to talib? i think you’re judging his content with the understanding that he isn’t from the hood. pretend for a moment that talib was from the hood and then listen to the music. if you still can’t relate to the music then i really don’t know what to say then…lol…chuck d talked about the police hardcore but he didn’t deal with them ALL the time. regardless, that doesn’t make his music any less meaningful. i know his parents were both professors…so what? dude, he’s from bk man, there’s struggle everywhere you go, even in the “cleanest” parts. he is speaking about his environment so he is keeping it real. if you really made a song about something you witnessed that you didn’t take part in, i wouldn’t doubt your ability to relate.
hostile gospel talks about a lot of his personal struggles. he talks about how hip hop culture has been raped severely and how it is being accepted as the norm. he is being viewed as “underground” and as a “backpacker” and that his music is “different”. i’m glad that he’s different. hip hop is about being unique and expressing himself. he is talking about the stupidness he has to put up with daily when he is tryin to live. i’m not sayin he’s poor but don’t you think its a struggle if a person who is great and legendary at their craft struggles to gain attention? he’s not one to talk about money but he’s human and therefore needs it. imagine if someone like tom brady didn’t get paid. sure, he doesn’t do a million commercials but he is excellent at the game and has the rings to prove it. but brady gets paid…now at least.talib is excellent at his craft and has the best rappers respect as rings but he isn’t getting paid.
your rite, that kanye song was dope! but not all people can relate to that particular kanye song. if you listen closely, it talks about how he as a black person has to work in a store which has predominately white consumers. it talks about the ironies of having to put black people at the front of the store being that he is a black person and how he had to do this even though he didn’t want to. look, i don’t know if you’ve been to the gap lately but most of the employees are white. and for that matter, most stores with an extreemly high percentage of white consumers don’t typically have black workers.
i’m not saying this is the best album ever in the history of man but you’re over criticising him. he doesnt talk about struggle on every song….you know, there’s more to music than just “i struggled this, i struggled that…and that why you need to respect me”.
Kanye also made “Diamonds are from Sierra Leone”. he’s never been a slave mining for diamonds but if you listen to him, you can understand the struggle. and talib was talkin about blood diamonds before kanye but no one cared because he’s not mainstream and he doesn’t have club beats.
There are young and/or ignorant people who read these posts. when you make you make such generalizations and come to non factual conclusions, your teaching them to think like that too. im not saying you gotta be a role model but man, you have a social obligation to speak the truth to the best of your ability. you have facts man but your making your criticisms off of harsh generalizations which tend to not have anything to do with the facts.
September 13th, 2007 at 10:47 am
You think Eardrum better than 3/5?