Quality Review
2002Album
Talib Kweli's solo debut: a pen sharper than most of the beats under it, and one Kanye West production that outgrew everything around it.
| Category | Critic | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Production | Good | |
| Lyrics | Great | |
| Vibe | Good | |
| Overall | Good |
Quality arrived in 2002 as Talib Kweli's first solo album, after Black Star with Mos Def and Reflection Eternal with Hi-Tek, and the writing is the reason to hear it. Kweli packs his verses with politics, faith and hustle without ever sounding like a lecture, and he raps as if the word count were a point of honour.
The production is the variable. Kanye West, J Dilla, DJ Quik, DJ Scratch and the Soulquarians all contribute, and across sixty five minutes the record moves between styles without a centre. Get By is the exception to everything: Kanye built it from Nina Simone's Sinnerman and a choir of background singers, and it became the song the album is remembered by.
It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and drew wide acclaim. Taken whole it is a strong record with a great one inside it.
Quality at a glance
- Artist
- Talib Kweli
- Released
- 2002
- Label
- Rawkus
- Tracks
- 15
- Runtime
- 65 min
- Release date
- 2002-11-19
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