Talib KweliBest Talib Kweli Albums Ranked

Quality

pitchfork

9.1

“When word hit that Talib Kweli had dropped longtime producer and *Reflection Eternal* bandmate DJ Hi-Tek for his upcoming release in favor of a more commercially viable roster of producers, you could almost hear a collective sigh rise up from the hip-hop community. Tek's quirky, jazz-informed productions provided an ideal sound platform for Talib's literate meditations on growing up in a marginali”

The Beautiful Struggle

pitchfork

7.6

“Latest outing from this formerly underground hip-hop visionary finds him collaborating with hot-shit producers Kanye West, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, and Jazze Pha, and marks the return of DJ Hi-Tek.”

Gutter Rainbows

pitchfork

7.4

“The indie rap legend returns with an LP created, assembled, and channeled through means completely independent of the mainstream record industry.”

Eardrum

pitchfork

7.4

“After the regrettable Beautiful Struggle and the solid, net-only Madlib collaboration Liberation, Talib continues his slight return to form, sounding confident and relaxed as he receives guest help from Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Madlib, and Pete Rock.”

Radio Silence

pitchfork

6.7

“On his eighth solo album, Talib Kweli remains the vanguard for deep-thinking conscious rap; storytelling and uplift are in ample supply, though the risks are few and far between.”

Prisoner of Conscious

pitchfork

6.1

“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.”