Earlier this week Talib Kweli released a new mixtape, Attack The Block. The project was done with DJ Z-Trip and is a high-powered precursor to his forthcoming 6th solo album, Prisoner of Conscious, which will be released on October 23rd. I recently had the chance to get Kweli’s thoughts on his new album, as well as the new mixtape, the Rawkus era, and much more. I also asked Talib about a classic magazine cover that to this day hangs on a bedroom wall at my parent’s house, while I haven’t lived there in quite some time. The cover is from a 2004 issue of Complex Magazine, which features Kanye West, the Beastie Boys, and Talib Kweli on a golf cart, representing Hip Hop’s dream team.
“I really can’t explain why they did that cover, or what the point was, but I am very glad it was done,” Talib said about the cover, which is becoming a classic photo in Hip Hop’s history. Kweli said that it’s significance was apparent even back then. “Kanye was starting to blow up, but he was still not as big as the Beasties and he was geeking out to meet them. I had been touring with them, so they were my friends at that point, but the history of that shoot was not lost on me back then,” he reflected.
Check out the cover below. And check back soon for our full interview with Talib Kweli. Pick up his latest release, Attack The Block, right here.
