Talib Kweli

Talking Louis C.K., South Park and Popcorn With Talib Kweli

Editor's note: In Tweets is Watching, Phillip Mlynar asks local artists questions based solely on the contents of their Twitter timeline. Talib Kweli is gearing up to release his fifth solo album, Prisoner of Consciousness, on May 7th. The project features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Curren ... More >>

The Ten Best Concerts in New York This Week, 3/18/13

Here are the10 best concerts to check out around the city this week, in no particular order.

The Ten Best Concerts in New York This Weekend, 3/15/13

Here are the 10 best concerts to check out around the city this weekend, in no particular order.

'The Music of Prince'

Jean Grae Picks Christmas Sweaters For Talib Kweli, Sean Price and Pharoahe Monch

Editor's note: In Tweets is Watching, Phillip Mlynar asks local artists questions based solely on the contents of their Twitter timeline. Jean Grae is one of the world's most talented twitterers. When not lighting up her timeline with talk about Christmas sweaters, the Great Yam Debacle and the fol ... More >>

An Oddisee Crash Course: From PG to NYC

One of the most intriguing new voices in hip-hop, Maryland MC Oddisee has amassed one of the most loyal word-of-mouth grassroots fanbases in indie-rap today. Acclaimed for his work both behind the mic and behind the boards (he's produced for Talib Kweli, Freeway and Homeboy Sandman), what makes Oddi ... More >>

The Life And Times Of Res

Res had it pretty good, for a while. A little more than a decade ago, when the music industry was still flush with cash and power, the Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter (whose given name is Shareese Ballard; her stage name is pronounced "Reese") had a sweet deal with MCA Records. She had a crash ... More >>

The Top 5.33 Hip-Hop Songs Of The Week

The "b word" has been a staple of hip-hop for decades, although there's some linguistic shading as far as its use: women that aren't particularly awesome are called "bitches"; really awesome women are "bad bitches"; respected dignitaries like moms are "ladies" and "females"—unless they're the ... More >>

IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR

Summerstage puts on a show for all ages

Occupy Wall Street Dreams Of A Giant Jam Session May 1

"Band seeking 1000 guitar players. Other instruments also welcome. Influences include Woody Guthrie, Tom Morello, Willie Nile, and Sergio Ortega." Occupy Wall Street is raising a "Guitarmy." For months, activists have been preparing for May Day, laying plans for teach-ins, bank blockades, marches ... More >>

SOTC's March Madness: Rakim (6) Tangles With Black Star (11) In Our Quintessential New York Musician Tournament

​The Round of 64 for Sound of the City's own version of March Madness—in which you, the Sound of the City voting public, help determine the quintessential New York musician—continues, and you get to vote on who makes it to Round Two. We'll have some first-round results later today, but ... More >>

The Four Best Finds In Occupy Wall Street's Music Library

Over the weekend SOTC pal Ann Powers wondered about what the music of Occupy Wall Street might be, and she discussed the drop-ins by the likes of Jeff Mangum and Talib Kweli as well as the music emanating from the park's current residents; she also mused on the "human microphone," the means by which ... More >>

Talib Kweli Plays Occupy Wall Street

Talib Kweli showed up in Zuccotti Park Thursday night to perform for the protesters of Occupy Wall Street. After a lengthy General Assembly meeting that had left some protesters feeling spent and frustrated, Kweli arrived and stepped up onto the stone bench that is being used as a podium. Kweli i ... More >>

CMJ Announces Second Round Of Performers: J Mascis, Zomby, Kendrick Lamar, And More

Surfer Blood, who once upon a time was "just some band." ​ Last month the CMJ Music Marathon—coming to the city's music venues from October 18 through 22—announced the first batch of artists that would be playing next month's industry confab; that list included (among others) Neon ... More >>

Jack White And Stephen Colbert Will Turn The High Line Into A Record Store Later This Morning

​This week the late-night yuk/yakfest The Colbert Report has had all musically inclined guests, with performances by Bon Iver, Florence The Machine, and Talib Kweli; last night the host took his turn when he handled vocal duties on "Charlene II: I'm Over You," a collaboration with the Jack W ... More >>

Rock The Bells NYC Lineup Updated; Erykah Badu To Perform Baduizm

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the New York City stop of the Rock The Bells Festival, which will take place on September 3 at Governors Island. The lineup for the all-star hip-hop concert, during which a slew of heavyweights (Nas, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Raekwon & Ghostface) will revisit album ... More >>

Rap Made Me Do It: Ten Books I Read Because Of Hip-Hop

​When rappers reference items they consume--whether Cristal, Clarks Wallabees, or chronic--listeners seek them out, either out of curiosity or a desire to be like their heroes. And thanks to hip-hop's tendency to occasionally serve as an educated, sound-advice-giving older sibling, those refer ... More >>

Ms. Lauryn Hill And Nas To Headline Rock The Bells Festival, Which Hits NYC In September

​The Rock The Bells festival returns to the New York area with a Sept. 2 date at Governor's Island. This year's installment is headed up by a slew of full-album sets that includes run-throughs of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Illmatic (which Nas will perform with AZ, Pete Rock and DJ Premie ... More >>

Ten Hip-Hop Covers Of Rap Songs

​Last week, the Detroit-based rapper and one-time J Dilla collaborator Elzhi released Elmatic. It's the second time a rapper has re-written and re-made Nas's hallowed Illmatic, with Fashawn attempting a similar feat last year. As a listening experience, Elmatic is less than convincing, leaving ... More >>

SummerStage Announces Its Massive 2011 Lineup

​As the winter thaws out, more summer concerts are showing up on the calendar's horizon. Today, the City Parks Foundation announced the schedule for this year's SummerStage, which takes place from June 7 to September 2 in parks all around the city, with the mainstage happening at Central Park. ... More >>

Idle Warship

Nicki Minaj, Louie Vega, Talib Kweli, And Bollywood Disco Headline Your (Christmas!) Week In Nightlife

​The holidays tend to bring a mass exodus from the city, but not everyone is leaving. In fact, some of our favorite DJs (and rappers) have chosen to come for a visit, giving us a full week of dance parties and awesome shows. We recommend that you take a night off from your holiday daze, grab a ... More >>

AFRICAN PRIDE

The Roots host a World Cup wrap party

The Hip-Hop/Jazz Crossover Strategy Guide

Revive Da Live brings in both crowds . . . very, very carefully

A People's History of Summer Jam 2010

Drake debuts, Trey Songz gyrates, and DJ Khaled wins at the hip-hop event of the year

FUNK ‘N’ ROLL

Dance in the alley

Cornel West Disses Jay-Z!

​"Guys like Talib Kweli and Lupe Fiasco rap messages and have something to say," America's second most famous living public intellectual told the University of Buffalo's Spectrum. "Now Jay-Z is on the radio and he's talented, but he's just not at the level he use to be at on Reasonable Doubt a ... More >>

HOLIDAY RAPPING

Talib Kweli gives you his label's stars

THROWBACK TO THE FUTURE

Duo Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are back again

The Top 10 Records Sold Last Week at Rock and Soul in Midtown

In 2009, the traditional practice of exchanging physical copies of records for money is a trade that might best be called quixotic. But New Yorkers are stubborn people, and the record store is not dead. Below, the top ten records that sold in the last week at a store near you. Rock and Soul start ... More >>

Tonight They're Gonna Rock You Tonight: Zap Mama, Cake, and Some Golden-Age Hip-Hop

Starting today, intrepid Voice intern Michael Downes will offer a daily, highly biased digest of that evening's best NYC shows -- and the whole weekend's slate on Friday, which today is, mercifully, if you were not aware. Enjoy. FRIDAY Zaire-born Marie Daulne fronts Zap Mama at Joe's Pub. Foun ... More >>

Mos Def

ROBO PARTY DON'T STOP

Idle Warship redefines the classic power trio

The Trials of Jean Grae

Why an NYC rap star threatened retirement, and why she hasn't stopped threatening yet

Evil Empire Strikes Back

A rap-nostalgia bonanza feels like a rock show and sounds like a resurrection

Conscious Waffler Stops Trying For Perfection And Reachieves Competence

New York Rap is Regional Rap

Post-Kanye Chicago Rap Saves Rap

Live: The Roots Forget to Call Jay-Z

Mos Def Is Boring

Pull Your Socks Up

Long Island's original native tongues serve the grown-ups

The C-Word

Rapper's ambivalence about fame and fortune hits a peak

A Fistful of Mighta Been

How the Miramax of Music Soundbombed

The Benz or the Backpack?

Caught between underground should and overground can

The Permanent Record

Three DJs Give You Something You Can Really Pop Your Collar To

Music

Pazz & Jop Preview

It's Nation Time. Again.

A new vanguard of rap activists takes to the streets

Louder Than Bombs

Do for Self