OVERALL RATING:
Words By: Funk D
If you call yourself a hip hop fan, chances are you're no stranger to the music of Talib Kweli, and the classic "Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought". Well, the one and only Talib is back after three years since his last album dropped. Following up the 2004 release, 'The Beautiful Struggle', is his newest LP, Ear Drum, which is also his first solo album off of his own record label, Blacksmith. Kweli brings in several guests on this one (such as KRS-One, Kanye West, UGK, Musiq Soulchild, etc.), and production comes from many greats, such as Madlib, Kanye West, Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, Just Blaze, will.i.am, and more. All of the producers and guest artists featured on Ear Drum each bring a little bit of their own style to the table, but still allow Talib to be himself, the laid-back, Brooklyn emcee we all know and love, allowing for a nice, refreshing LP to make its way into the hip hop game.
Video for 'Hot Thing/In The Mood'.
Ear Drum kicks off with the mellow yet soulful, "Everything Man", which is a Madlib production with a sample that fits nicely with a confident, relaxed Talib basically just talking about how ill he is and how he'll always be here for all of his fans and listeners, and isn't going anywhere anytime soon, with lyrics like "The man in your dreams and your nightmares/ Demanding your vision til it's quite clear like light beer/ Yeah I'm standing right here/ I get you hot, but stay cooler than the night air". This track is a great way to start off the album and definitely has the same feel as and brings me back to the classic, "Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought", with the similar strategy of calm, laidback rhymes over smooth jazz-infused beats. Next up is "NY Weather Report" where again Talib raps over another soulful beat, which tends to bring out the best in him, letting out his true lyrical strengths once again. Talib also bring in the one and only DJ Jazzy Jeff to scratch on this joint. On the third track, Hostile Gospel Pt. 1, Just Blaze lays down a banger with edged, layered keys, strings, and hard-hitting drums that really grab a hold of the ears, nicely complimented with the gospel choir on the hook. Lyrically this is also one of the strongest tracks on the album. With powerful lyrics that hit you right in the face, such as "I start a conversation based on general observation, hip hop is not a nation, take it to population/ Niggas got a lot to say while locked inside the belly of satan, awaitin trial debatin' how the hell i got got placed in/ This system am I a victim or just a product of indoctrination/ They exploited and used me like a movie with product placement" and "The black kids wishin’ they
white kids, when they close they eyelids, like, I bet they neighborhood
ain’t like this/ White kids wishin’ they black kids, and wanna talk like
rappers, it’s all backwards, it’s identity crisis"
"In The Mood" featuring Kanye West was kind of a let down for me, based on what I know both artists are capable of, and based on previous collaborations between the two. The beat was kind of annoying and repetative, mainly built off of a looped "ooo", and another song for the ladies wasn't exactly needed with "Hot Thing" already on there (especially since both of those beats tend to get a little irritating after a while). The track isn't terrible but when I saw it on the tracklist I got excited and expected a banger from the infamous two, like Get By, off of Talib's 2002 LP, Qualty, and that isn't exactly what I got. Norah Jones goes a little out of her element to get mass appeal and joins Madlib and Talib on "Soon The New Day", which is an enlightened song about one night stands, and also one of my favorites on the LP. With Norah's soulful vocals, Talib's soulful rhymes, and Madlib's soulful production, the final product turns out to be an overall SOULFUL joint that plays perfectly to all three artists' strengths. "Listen!!!" is also one of the strongest tracks on the album, even though it has been around for a quite a while now, more than a year actually. "Stay Around", produced by none other than Pete Rock, is also another one of my favorites on the album, with the just the absolute illest beat on the album, infused with jazz and soul elements. UGK also makes a nice appearance on "Country Cousins", returning the favor of Talib appearing on their most recent LP, Underground Kingz. The track is a real Southern-sounding joint about the bond between Northern emcees and Southern emcees and the great respect between the two areas, making for a nice, refreshing change of pace on the album.
Other than maybe "In The Mood featuring Kanye West", I couldn't really think of any tracks I would have thought about leaving out. I really liked "Oh My Stars" featuring Musiq Soulchild, a touching song about being a father. The song is complimented by Musiq's smooth vocals, and full of moving lyrics from talib such as;
"She asked me Daddy you know any superstars/ I looked at her and said stop being silly that's what you two are"
"The Nature" featuring Justin Timberlake (a bonus cut) also caught my ears by surprise. The track is about the ugly in today's society and how everyone needs to look for and realize the true meaning in their lives. The song seemed kind of like a 2007 'Where Is The Love?', which Timberlake also appeared on, uncredited for. I've never been too much of a Justin Timberlake fan, but his vocals and work on the production really do add to this joint.
Overall, Ear Drum is a very strong LP from Talib Kweli, with a smooth, laidback, soulful vibe that reminds me a lot of "Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought", one of my favorite hip hop records of all time. Talib you can bang on my ear drum whenever you want, no homo. If you call yourselves a true hip hop fan, I definitely suggest you go out and cop this album when it drops Tuesday, August 21st.
