Why Kweli Why?

Why is this mixtape this hot? It almost makes me kind of mad. Makes me think maybe Kweli was holding back on Beautiful Struggle or something like that. Seems like half the songs on this joint are tracks that didn't make the Beautiful Struggle. Why keep the hotness from your fans while giving them lukewarm mediocrity?

Can someone please explain the difference between an mixtape and an album, cuz I don't understand. Is it just a question of royalties? Cuz this "mixtape" has liner notes and all that, whereas the previous mixtapes seemed more like actual mixtapes- low-budget CD's with upwards of twenty songs with grassroots distribution.

Remember when mixtapes were actually mix tapes- casette tapes with a mix of songs.

Head Roc

Ya'll heard about this cat Head Roc from out of DC?

I bought one of his album a little while ago, titled "The Return of Black Broadway," a reference to the U Street area of Washington, DC.

I definitely recommend picking this one up if you can.

Head Roc speaks on matters from the glaring inequality seen in our nation's capital to the drudgery of holding down a 9-5.

This District of Columbia native definitely appeals to those who like to think while listening to hip hop. What else would you expect from someone who spoke at a huge anti-war rally at the Washington Monument?

This guy is like Public Enemy meets A Tribe Called Quest with a gritty, underground, homegrown feel.

He has a newer out, titled "Negrophobia," is on my list of albums to pick. It should be on yours too.

Right About Now

I'm listenting to the new Kweli mixtape, "Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD."

I haven't fully formed an opinion yet, but so far I'm feelin' that the album is hot.

The strength of this album is that it's classic Kweli, seemingly cooked from the same ingredients as "Train of Thought" and "Quality."

Unlike the lukewarm "Beautiful Struggle," Kweli does an excellent job of having hot, almost "commercial" beats and flows without sacrificing the very essence that has grown his fan base over the past decade or so.

I know some folks (myself included) have been less than impressed with most of the work he has put out since "Quality," but thankfully this album delivers and redeems Kweli as an emcee that is too contagious to be relegated strictly to the underground market.

If there is a downside to this mixtape, it is that it does not monumentally surpass some of Kweli's best work of the past, and thus does not elevate the BK emcee to a level beyond that which he achieved with "Quality" - which by far is his best work as a solo artist (sans Mos & Hi Tek).

Without a doubt, "Right About Now" puts Talib Kweli back on the ascending track to the forefront of hip hop music.

All that is missing for Kweli to go the next level is well-crafted full-length album that pushes and highlights his talents while giving us a three dimensional understanding of him as a artist.

*RING RING*

...hello, Kanye?