#RADIO SILENCE TALIB FULL#
#RADIO SILENCE TALIB FREE#

It doesn't match the perfection or near-perfection of Talib Kweli's earliest work, but because it's nicely conscious, free of any major slip-ups and arriving at a time when mainstream rap is lowering its performance-related standards, Radio Silence really can catch on and silence the radio. Despite all the wisdom and awareness in the author, the subject matter takes only some risks and not quite seismic, and the production, while prominent, won't have everyone coming back for seconds or thirds. With that cool, post-2010 Talib Kweli feel (in other words the first impression made after Javotti's inception), Radio Silence is an indie affair of flyness, anthems, calm vocal protest against violence in the streets, love, and guests from the under- and aboveground, all of them, even Waka Flocka and Rick Ross, pulling substance out for this particular artist and occasion. Relax and exhale because the anticipated album, finally here, passes the hardest critical tests.

#RADIO SILENCE TALIB FULL#

The primarily acoustic 'Write at Home' involves more cooks - keys from Robert Glasper, spoken word from Datcha, vocal sweetening from Bilal - but closes out the album in purposeful, elegant form.Brooklyn Black Star and Reflection Eternal emcee Talib Kweli had been teasing his Radio Silence solo album since 2015 (at the most recent) so for it to come a full two years later is just enough time for fans to wait, even with the other projects Kweli's label Javotti Media made in the interim. 'The One I Love' features BJ the Chicago Kid's confident hook, sampled Sampha on the brink of tears in the background, and even a Stevie Wonder-like harmonica outro from FrГ©dГ©ric Yonnet. The comparatively lighter tracks are necessary for balance but are cluttered on occasion. 'They screamin' 'black-on-black' as an excuse for you to not care 'til the cops roll up in their SWAT gear,' amid dozens of other lines, are delivered with that laser focus only Kweli possesses. 'She's My Hero,' told over sorrowful soul-jazz from Oh No, regards the 14-year-old who shot and killed her abusive, life-threatening father after 'They told the cops, but all that did was make him treat them rougher.' A career highlight, it's also only one of many tracks on which Kweli asserts his stance against the school-to-prison pipeline and other forms of systemic oppression, as well as the mentality they sustain. Kweli persists as one of the most inspired storytellers, wasting no syllables as he condenses and elucidates complex non-fiction. 'I got a doctorate in rockin' it,' he proclaims on prime Kaytranada chop 'Traveling Light.' But if there's one line that encapsulates this compact set, it's 'Documentin' the struggle, I'm huddlin' with historians,' placed over the Alchemist's swirling soul, ideally suited for the dissemination of realism and wisdom. Seven months after he and Styles P released The Seven, Talib Kweli offered his eighth proper solo album, his first since 2015's Fuck the Money. Talib was on the Chris Gethard show last night, live at 11pm - this album went on sale immediately when the episode ended, which was pretty cool He also told a story about writing a high school play with James Van Der Beek (who he went to high school with) where they play the main characters, best friends, a white dude and a 5er.

Radio silence talib