Well, not quite. A little soundtrack called High School Musical 2 took care of that. But it was still a pleasant surprise to find the ever-clever Brooklyn emcee at No. 2 on this week’s Billboard albums chart when the numbers came in last night. Kweli sold 60,000 copies of his new CD Eardrum this week — not nearly enough to stop the teeming mob of cash-wielding tweens who picked up HSM 2, of course, but plenty to beat out everyone else in a slowish sales week.
That includes rap producer Swizz Beatz, whose solo debut One Man Band Man sold 45,000 copies for a seventh-place finish. It’s hard to predict CD sales in advance these days, but I’d never have guessed that one. After all, Swizzy has a much bigger mainstream profile than Kweli. He’s produced tons of smashes for others, and even dropped two sizable singles of his own this summer ("It’s Me B—-es" and "Money in the Bank"). Kweli, despite the many moments of brilliance in his past releases, has yet to crack pop radio.
So what gave him the edge this time? Obviously, the answer is EW’s mighty music staff: Josette Compton gave Kweli a well-earned A, while I tossed Swizz a B-despite my love of "It’s Me…" Seriously, though, it appears that fansof smart, nuanced hip-hop aren’t as few and far between as they’resometimes assumed to be. Just a few weeks ago, Kweli’s fellow poetCommon nabbed the first No. 1 debut of his long career with Finding Forever.The people who brought home both Com and Kwe’s latest will find plentyof vivid metaphors and thought-provoking theses (plus some superlativebeats) without any gratuitous slurs or threats. Even Bill O’Reillywould have trouble finding out-of-context quotes to bash hip-hop withon those discs, though I’m sure he’d think of a way to pull it off.Could it be that the much-debated subgenre of "conscious rap" hasfinally become a formidable chart force after all these years?
Maybe not. But as someone who spent the late ’90s fervently wishing that, say, "Respiration" could get more radio play than the Swizz-produced (and NSFW) "Money, Cash, Hoes," I know I’m celebrating this week. (And "Money, Cash, Hoes" was one of the commercial rap tracks that I sorta liked at the time, mind you!) Who’s with me?
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I love these guys. I saw them at a great concert here in Phoenix on a double bill! Glad to see them getting some props. I will pick up both discs this week either on iTunes or from the store!
So happy to see a mainstream media source writing about Talib. He is a great artist and has not gotten the recognition he deserves!
in all fairness, what made Kweli an underground superstar was him being underground. bringing him into the mainstream may or may not change his future music, but it will change how its received. hes not kanye, jay z, or even common. i hope he stays where he is. i dont want to turn on the radio and hear his music every 6 minutes by ppl who dont appreciate it or understand it.
I loved his work with Mos Def the most. Talib’s got skills and charm, so it surprises me that he’s never gotten the acclaim of similar rappers like Q Tip, Mos, Aceyalone and Common.
The reviews of Talib’s album say it’s off the hook, and I plan to purchase a copy this weekend. If it’s as good as folks have been saying it is, I can’t wait to boogie down.
Fact of the matter is, Kweli’s biggest hit to date was “Get By” which featured production by Kanye West, and then the remix of course featured Jay-Z. His new double album is chock full of guests, including Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and even the first single, “HOT THING” was produced and features current in-demand mainstream superstar Will.i.am. With that much mainstream star power behind him, if the cd didn’t debut in the Top 10, then Warner Bros. def. has even more to worry about then their current Wall Street problems!
And Simon, how you gave Swizzy’s cd a B-, when its like 37 minutes long, and he’s had plenty of time to churn it out is BEYOND me. The best track is the “Its Me ….” Remix which prominently features Lil’ Wayne, R.Kelly & Jadakiss. Its not even worht the $7.99 iTunes is asking for it! I’m a fan of his production, but he should stick to producing. PERIOD. Or maybe finally get his wife, Mashonda’s long-delayed debut out. She can actually sing.
As a long time fan of Kweli and Common, it did come as a wonderful surprise to see these two artists top the charts. But before we claim a commercial coup for the underground let’s keep in mind two things – both artists have incredibly loyal bases who turn out on release day to support their faves (although #2 sounds great, 60,000 is hardly N’Sync numbers). And the biggest hip-hop single of the summer in my city, Denver, was the brain-cell killing “Party Like a Rock Star.” (Insert sound effect of Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake)
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Mos Def is phenomenal! But have ya’ll heard of the Rapper/Emcee Novel? He was signed to Rawkus Records back when Mos Def and Talib Qweli was signed. He is coming out with his own album, “Audiobiography”. He is now signed to Capitol/Rowdy Records… and he’s produced songs on Alicia Keyes, Leona Lewis — and I heard he is now working with Beyonce!! You can see more of him at: http://www.myspace.com/novelmyspace. HE IS AMAZING!!!!!! I don’t know why he hasn’t blown up yet?? Extremely talented individual. His singing gives me the chills~~~
Mos Def is phenomenal! But have ya’ll heard of the Rapper/Emcee Novel? He was signed to Rawkus Records back when Mos Def and Talib Qweli was signed. He is coming out with his own album, “Audiobiography”. He is now signed to Capitol/Rowdy Records… and he’s produced songs on Alicia Keyes, Leona Lewis — and I heard he is now working with Beyonce!! You can see more of him at: http://www.myspace.com/novelmyspace. HE IS AMAZING!!!!!! I don’t know why he hasn’t blown up yet?? Extremely talented individual. His singing gives me the chills~~~
Mos Def is phenomenal! But have ya’ll heard of the Rapper/Emcee Novel? He was signed to Rawkus Records back when Mos Def and Talib Qweli was signed. He is coming out with his own album, “Audiobiography”. He is now signed to Capitol/Rowdy Records… and he’s produced songs on Alicia Keyes, Leona Lewis — and I heard he is now working with Beyonce!! You can see more of him at: http://www.myspace.com/novelmyspace. HE IS AMAZING!!!!!! I don’t know why he hasn’t blown up yet?? Extremely talented individual. His singing gives me the chills~~~
Mos Def is phenomenal! But have ya’ll heard of the Rapper/Emcee Novel? He was signed to Rawkus Records back when Mos Def and Talib Qweli was signed. He is coming out with his own album, “Audiobiography”. He is now signed to Capitol/Rowdy Records… and he’s produced songs on Alicia Keyes, Leona Lewis — and I heard he is now working with Beyonce!! You can see more of him at: http://www.myspace.com/novelmyspace. HE IS AMAZING!!!!!! I don’t know why he hasn’t blown up yet?? Extremely talented individual. His singing gives me the chills~~~