Here’s my problem with Talib, he is a brilliant emcee, one of the best in the last 10 years, but he plays it safe each and every time.
Here’s my problem with Talib, he is a brilliant emcee, one of the best in the last 10 years, but he plays it safe each and every time. It’s like he established his fan base early, then did everything in his power to not piss them off. Despite underground worship and even mainstream love with his Kanye laced smash Get by one half of Blackstar, he seems content to do what he does musically. You can’t really blame him, any dedicated supporter is a blessing to a musician and his catalogue allows him to tour the globe annually playing sold out shows and rocking crowds, sure it’s not stadium gigs but he is still living the dream. Gutter Rainbows is a wholly independent release, everything sourced through Kweli’s connection, 12 different producers over 13 tracks and guests remaining from within his camp. Standouts are the M-Phazes laced title track and Jean Grae featuring Uh Oh. There are in fact no poor tracks, it just lacks replay value.
Shane Scott
