Right About Now

Another really strong album from Talib Kweli, my personal favorite rapper. I still don't understand why people didn't like Beautiful Struggle, which I thought was a fantastic album. But for those who didn't like the vibe of that album, this album has a feel more like his earlier albums. Kweli starts off by talking about his career with Right About Now, basically walking through his thoughts on the twists and turns and where he is now. He takes a shot at MCA/Geffen ("Rawkus got a deal with MC Eiht, it's the grey area/The letters stood for Music Cemetery of America/They tried to fool you by switching the name to Geffen/Now they're Interscope's bitch and every artist who had a chance left 'em"). One of his strongest traits is he actually talks about the things that he wants, as opposed to what he thinks a rapper should be talking about . The strongest section is in the middle of the album, with Fly That Knot (crazy hook), Ms. Hill, Supreme Supreme (with Mos Def) and The Beast. Ms. Hill is the best song on the entire album, and is a really courageous song. In the macho world of hip-hop, tributes to other artists are extremely rare. A tribute to someone who is still alive, and is a female to boot, is even more rare. It's a touching song where Kweli basically says how much Lauryn Hill means to him and the community. ("I wish I could talk to Lauryn/I mean, excuse me, Ms. Hill/And let her know how much we love her, it's real") ("What the album did for black girls' self esteem is so important") ("You give us hope, you give us faith, you the one/They don't like what you got to say/But still they beg you to come/Woah, now that's powerful sis, it's black power") I highly recommend the album, just like I highly recommend all of Kweli's albums. It's actually been a really good year for hip-hop, with Be, The Documentary, B.Coming, Late Registration, The Minstrel Show, and Right About Now.