Prisoner Of Conscious

AlbumJan 01 / 201315 songs, 56m 59s
Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop
Noteable
6.1 / 10

For Talib Kweli, songs like "Definition" and "Get By" still deserve all the adulation they inspire. However, on his new Prisoner of Conscious, the 37-year-old founding father of conscious-rap is now acknowledging his own antiquity.

If Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli really is a Prisoner of Conscious, as the title to his 2013 album suggests, then of course radio-aimed crossover numbers are the proper way to make a jailbreak, so bring on T-Pain and Weezy and start climbing those charts.

Talib Kweli's new album features guest appearances from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Busta Rhymes, with beats from a wealth of up and coming producers like Oh No, S1 and LV, and with a very special cut provided by RZA. Kweli himself avoids the sometimes evangelical delivery that characterised his early records. There are reflections on what it takes to be a man, on hip-hop culture, and on love, but they lack the philosophical depth and restless, crusading passion of his early work for the most part

8 / 10

Some 15 years after helping to lead the Rawkus charge, quickly establishing himself as an underground hero of consciousness in the process, Talib Kweli has finally taken a solid shot at the "pay me" record he's hinted at here and there throughout his surprisingly consistent career.

Prisoner of Conscious is a volley of rhymes that run from word association to extended polemics.

7 / 10

Album Reviews: Talib Kweli - Prisoner Of Conscious