![]() ![]() There’s more deep-thinking as Kweli drills into masculinity and the corrosive effects of negative male role models on “ Knockturnal.” But this is comfortable territory. Over a beat produced by Oh No, Kweli runs through the narrative with the storytelling elegance and human understanding of a skilled documentary maker. The most focused effort is “She’s My Hero,” a song inspired by Bresha Meadows, the teenager who last year shot and killed her allegedly abusive father as he slept. ![]() “Officer Friendly is an enemy now,” Electronica sighs, reminding everyone that his inability to sign off on an album qualifies as hip-hop’s own Greek tragedy. “All of Us” slashes away with loquacious one-liners that cut deep: “The common myth is we’re savages with no history or accomplishments/Or knowledge of ourselves, they did a job on us.” There’s even room for a verse from the elusive Jay Electronica, who takes police brutality head on by evoking the image of cops beating an elderly woman. “I live my life in the sunshine,” he raps on the lush, triumphant opener, “The Magic Hour,” without any sense of triteness “I’m praying for a better tomorrow.” But over the bluster, Kweli still delivers his short sermons. Radio Silence is a mostly a fresh tonic of brightness and positivity. There are, though, some very good Talib Kweli numbers. Instead, these are mostly songs that could have been pulled from any era of his career. Thank You 4 Your Service-contemporary albums from artists that qualify as Kweli’s direct stylistic forefathers. This is not a record distinctly of its era like, say, Common’s Black America Again or A Tribe Called Quest’s We Got It from Here. On Radio Silence, Kweli only circles the topics, occasionally throwing out jabs-“Every problem can’t be solved at the ballot box,” he raps on “All of Us,” in perhaps the album’s most obvious reference to the administration-but stopping short of launching the big, direct haymakers. He’s long been one of rap’s most prominent social activists, using interviews and a super-prolific Twitter feed to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, address the escalation of white supremacy, and criticize the current presidency. If the album is in any way shocking, it’s because of the topics that Kweli does not directly engage with. Radio Silence will comfortably shore up the base. Kweli’s flow can feel rushed and sticky, as though he can’t articulate his thoughts as neatly as he can conjure them up. ![]() ![]() Kweli is still stacking cultural references on top of cultural references: The opening 90 seconds of Radio Silence alone see him citing, among other things, Back to the Future and Carlito’s Way, and rhyming “Sonny Carson” with “Johnnie Cochran.” And he’s still sometimes guilty of being a better thinker than music maker. He’s still bending the knee to the same soul-infused beats that contemporaries like Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco mostly abandoned sometime during George W. But I couldn’t help but smile after running this project through and that’s the sign of good ass music and what top tier hip-hop is all about.Album number eight, Radio Silence, is another solid Kweli release to add to the pile. Black consciousness is on the rise in all facets of the arts and going into 2018 I would have never predicted that Skyzoo would be one of the ones leading the way. I haven’t even heard the rest of his discography but this, this right here, is his best album yet, and I say that with complete certainty. In Celebration of Us has that classic NY boom-bap feel with a still modern sound. There wasn’t one verse I felt was a miss and the backing production is phenomenal (that back half of “Heirlooms & Accessories” is ridiculous!!!). Add to that a pen that is absolutely working overtime it took me multiple listens just to catch all the gems he was dropping with ease. It’s a fully realized project that’s a complete celebration of blackness, fatherhood, and community and while it’s overall tale is a small, personal affair, the way he paints the picture and the way skits pop in to enhance the ride really make it feel like a much grander journey and by the ending’s heartfelt revelation I found myself fully invested. From the opening track I just knew I was listening to something different. That was a mistake, because In Celebration of Us has already shot to the top of my albums of the year list and even though it’s only February I don’t see it sliding too many spots by the end. While I am familiar with Skyzoo and know he’s a beast of a lyricist I’ve never really checked for a full project of his. I have to admit that I was sleeping on this one. ![]()
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