Talib Kweli

Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli earned his status as underground hip-hop royalty early in his career through his work with two acclaimed projects: Black Star, his collaboration with Mos Def, and Reflection Eternal, his duo with DJ Hi-Tek. With his solo albums, Kweli has made scattered pop-crossover grabs, working with producers like Kanye West and will.i.am and guests including Justin Timberlake and Norah Jones on 2007's Eardrum, but Kweli never drifts too far from his underground roots. In 2007 he rewarded his most loyal fans with the free album Liberation, a dream collaboration with oddball producer Madlib, and last year he re-teamed with Hi-Tek for the long-awaited second Reflection Eternal album, Revolutions Per Minute.