#TBT Circa 2008 Beautiful Struggle Interview

Extracted from the AOR Vault: 2003 Does the title Beautiful Struggle refer to Hip Hop, or life in general? Talib Kweli: Life in general but in the context of a Hip Hop album. Do you figure out the title before you work on the album? Talib Kweli: Sometimes you do, but this particular album I didn’t.…

I’ve just been through a lot, know what I mean? I have been through a lot more in my life. Fans get to build with us because we’ve been blessed with longevity.

I go back to the early days of Hip Hop. It was like 1983 when I started writing. I came up listening to the Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Krs-One and people of that nature. Growing up in that golden era of Hip Hop, that was my motivation.

We would just stay up day and night writing these lyrical sketches. It would be a nonstop freestyle cypha trying to come up with new concepts for the show. As far as the show itself there were a lot of politics. MTV is obviously not the most Hip Hop station in the world. They did a lot of things that kept the show from reaching its full potential. They would say things sometimes like, “This sketch is too black or this scene is too Hip Hop” haha. Pretty much taking out the cream of the crop of the stuff we have written

We would just stay up day and night writing these lyrical sketches. It would be a nonstop freestyle cypha trying to come up with new concepts for the show. As far as the show itself there were a lot of politics. MTV is obviously not the most Hip Hop station in the world. They did a lot of things that kept the show from reaching its full potential. They would say things sometimes like, “This sketch is too black or this scene is too Hip Hop” haha. Pretty much taking out the cream of the crop of the stuff we have written

Greatly. I think just growing up with it around as well as knowing things from a business perspective. And just seeing the life of independent musicians; it was also very inspiring. I think musically it just opened me up to a lot of new sounds and horizons and just constantly being around it. I was never expected to go into an academic field, I think it probably would have shocked them. Yes it really affected me.

Greatly. I think just growing up with it around as well as knowing things from a business perspective. And just seeing the life of independent musicians; it was also very inspiring. I think musically it just opened me up to a lot of new sounds and horizons and just constantly being around it. I was never expected to go into an academic field, I think it probably would have shocked them. Yes it really affected me.

Man, I don’t know where to start. There has been a lot going on with me, both musically and mentally. I think taking the time out has been a blessing.

Extracted from the AOR Vault: May 2008 What’s up Buck? Buckshot: I’m feeling good. I’m feeling great. I’m feeling blessed to be here and I feel blessed to be alive. So this is your second album with 9th Wonder. What can fans of the first album expect from The Formula? Buckshot: The good chemistry 9th…