Talib Kweli
Overview
Talib Kweli Greene better known as Talib Kweli, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 hip-hop artist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. His first name
Talib
A talib or talibé is a student, particularly a student of Islam, who may study in a madrasah or with a religious teacher....

 in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 means "student"
Talib
A talib or talibé is a student, particularly a student of Islam, who may study in a madrasah or with a religious teacher....

 or "seeker" (طالب); his middle name in Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...

 means "true". Kweli first gained recognition through Black Star, a collaboration with fellow MC Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...

.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Kweli grew up in a highly educated household in Park Slope.
Quotations

At exactly which point do you start to realize, that life without knowledge is death in disguise?

"K.O.S. (Determination)" (track 8)

We played against each other like puppets, swearing you got pull When the only pull you got is the wool over your eyes Getting knowledge in jail like a blessing in disguise Look in the skies for god, what you see besides the smog Is broken dreams flying away on the wings of the obscene.

"Respiration" (track 11)

Creating crime rates to fill the new prisons they build Over money and religion theres more blood that spills Like the wounds of slaves in cotton fields that never heal Whats the deal?

"Thieves in the Night" (track 12)

These cats drink champagne and toast to death and pain, Like slaves on a ship talking about who's got the flyest chain

"Africa Dream" (track 8)

Persistance, dedication Consistent, motivation, resistance to stagnation of information, distribute it free to the entire population No hesitation, makin it public No privitazation from corporations

"Name of the Game" (track 10)

These niggas ain't thugs, the real thugs is the government. Don't matter if you're Independent, Democrat or Republican

"Ghetto Afterlife" (track 11)

Niggas with knowledge are more dangerous than niggas with guns. They make the guns easy to get and try to keep niggas dumb

"The Proud" (track 11)

We commute through computers. Spirits stay mute while our ego spread rumors. We're survivalists turned to consumers

"Get By" (track 3)

Spit bars you can't touch, like tits in strip bars, get scarred, I drop hits to hit hard

"Waiting for the DJ" (track 6)

Fuck the harder way, I'm doing it the smarter way

"Going Hard" (track 1)

 
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