Talib Kweli - 4 Hours, 3 Discs And 2 Years (a misshapedmixtape)

I realize that I skipped last week. Posting a tape that is. Turns out it's not a good idea to work on three mixes at the same time. Multi-tasking = fail.

Also, I'm getting a job job now. So that may hinder the sick amount of time that I spend on this shiznit. Bloggity blah blawg. But it is so fun. When it's not feeding my hoarding tendencies that is (I tell you, fingernail clippings and mp3s... I can never throw them away). Anyway, to those of you that are worried, I promise I will not quit the blog. And SOMETIMES I swallow the fingernails (when I chew). So that helps to keep those from accumulating too much.

What was saying? Oh yeah, I promise I won't forsake you forever. Though next year may mean more infrequent visits. Or less frequent. Double negs? Bi-monthly humpty dances. Trouble begs. That wasn't a double neg after all. Keep your hovercrafts out of the bubble baths.

I'm tired as shit right now coz I overstretched myself on this Talib action. This is what I did: First, I put together a gorgeous (if I do say so myself) tape with selections off of his two most recent studio albums, "Gutter Rainbows" (2011) and "Revolutions Per Minute" (2010). The latter was a collaboration with Hi-Tek (Reflection Eternal) and was the better album of the two. But "Gutter Rainbows" has some great songs on it. And then there's this little group thing called Black Star? You might have heard of them? 1, 2, 3... Mos Def and Talib Kweli-eee-ee. Yep. They're back together. Dropped two singles this year and an album will come out in 2012. Call me excited. It better be good.

So yes. Talib Kweli. The BK MC. I made that first mix. It was sub-80 minutes. Ready to post. Hoist the sails. But then I did more. Lots more. Four hours of Talib. Is that too much? Nah. Am I tired as shit? Did I already mention that I'm tired as shit?

I do it for the love, mane. Great songs here. And they're all from the last two years. Wait, I lied. The last ten tracks on this mix (#54-#63) are from 2009 (and actually the Royce track is from '08) but I decided to add them because they were simply too good. And I really liked the idea of hitting the 4hr/3cd mark so I could top my previous double-LP drop and completely overwhelm you with Lil B-multiple-MySpace-page-levels of sma'mazing music. Also, I liked the idea of referencing the Palme d'Or-winning cool Romanian abortion movie for the title of this tape. Romania can always use more love.

Believe it or not, I actually had to cut a ton of tracks that Talib featured on from the last two years (partly because I scrambled to track down every single one, which was a silly, silly thing... but I was 98% successful at in the end).  Regardless, my interweb virtua-crate-digging led to discoveries of some pretty sweet artists I'd never heard of before. That's one awesome thing about Mr. Kweli -- he has such a great collaborative/giving spirit about him (which, when it's done in an authentic way, is something I love about hip-hop in general). So yeah, I wanted the second and third CDs of this mix to represent that: the best and most interesting features from Kweli. So yeah, no Gucci Mane "Poltergeist" -- which was interesting... but more in a "how the fuck did that terrible idea come to be?" way.

About Talib. Hmmm... You already know, right? So yeah, he's always been one of my favorites. But I must confess that he kind of meandered off my grid sometime around, oh, 2002-ish. I don't know why exactly. "Quality" (2002) was a pretty decent album. But it seemed like his days of putting out classic material ("Black Star" & "Train Of Thought") might be over. So I moved on to other stuff. So it goes.

Be that as it may, Talib Kweli is firing on all cylinders now. These last two years have been ridiculous -- for both the quality of his material AND the quantity. I mean, he's always been a  prolific artist... but he's taken it to another level now.

So yes, this download is ginormous. 450 MB, what what? But definitely worth it. Especially the first tape/discus (first 21 tracks) which pulls from the studio material. Essential listening. And the new Black Star stuff. You have heard the new Black Star stuff already, right??!?? Gah.

The other two discs (disc two is twenty tracks and disc three is twenty tracks -- but with two bonus tracks that would NOT fit on a CD, so don't you try breaking the 80 minute barrier, danger danger! ok?) have lots of fantastic songs. And yes, I made an extra effort to put on the (relative) no-name artists who bring it. I'll be keeping my eye out in the future for Derek 32zero especially. Even though he spells Derek the wrong way. Rack of spices. I lack the vices. Inside joker. Ringside mocha.

Here's the tracklist, already (go to bed, self!) -- get your download link in "the comments" (or right click on the picture jpeg thingie, that's cool too):

CD 1:

101 - Black Star - Fix Up
102 - Black Star - You Already Knew
103 - Gutter Rainbows
104 - Cold Rain
105 - So Low
106 - Self Savior (ft Chace Infinite)
107 - Wait For You (ft Kendra Ross)
108 - Uh Oh (ft Jean Grae)
109 - Palookas (ft Sean Price)
110 - Tater Tot
111 - Strangers (Paranoid) (ft Bun B)
112 - In This World
113 - Got Work
114 - Just Begun (ft Jay Electronica, J Cole & Mos Def)
115 - Lifting Off
116 - Ballad Of The Black Gold
117 - In The Red
118 - City Playgrounds
119 - Back Again (ft Res)
120 - Ends (ft Bilal)
121 - My Life (Outro)

CD 2:

201 - Talib Kweli - 1st Time (ft Consequence)
202 - Statik Selektah - The Thrill Is Gone (ft Styles P & Talib Kweli)
203 - Joell Ortiz - So Wrong (ft Talib Kweli, Brother Ali & Jean Grae)
204 - Hezekiah - Fired Up! (ft Talib Kweli & Bahamadia)
205 - Break Science - The Alliance (ft Talib Kweli)
206 - Union - Time Leak (ft Talib Kweli)
207 - Mistah F.A.B. - In My City (ft Talib Kweli & Royce Da 5'9'')
208 - The Next - This American Life (ft Talib Kweli & Immortal Technique)
209 - Talib Kweli - Papers Please
210 - The Away Team - Set It Off (ft Talib Kweli & Rapsody)
211 - Fashawn - Life's A Bitch (ft Talib Kweli)
212 - Bun B - Don't Die (ft Talib Kweli, 88-Keys & Colin Munroe)
213 - Kanye West - Chain Heavy (ft Talib Kweli & Consequence)
214 - Chrisette Michele - Let Freedom Reign (ft Talib Kweli & Black Thought)
215 - Doc Ish - Is It A Dream (ft Joe Budden, Talib Kweli, Sean Price & Angelica)
216 - Animal Farm - Test Of Time (ft Talib Kweli)
217 - Kyle Rapps - Universe Traveler (ft Talib Kweli)
218 - Derek 32zero - Lift 'Em Up (ft Talib Kweli)
219 - Quincy Jones - Ironside (ft Talib Kweli)
220 - MED - Classic (ft Talib Kweli)

CD 3:
301 - 9th Wonder - Never Stop Loving You (ft Terrace Martin & Talib Kweli)
302 - Lostribe - No Other Word (ft Talib Kweli, N8 The Gr8 & Maryann Hunter)
303 - Statik Selektah - You're Gone (ft Talib Kweli, Colin Munroe & Lil Fame)
304 - Toki Wright - Trakhouse (ft Emazin, Talib Kweli & I Self Divine)
305 - Stat Quo - Allright (ft Talib Kweli)
306 - Cory Mo - Gettin To The Money (ft Talib Kweli, Killer Mike & Mitchelle l)
307 - Jean Grae - R.I.P (ft Styles P & Talib Kweli)
308 - The Foodchain - Fucc Niggaz (ft Talib Kweli)
309 - Blaqstarr - War Of The Roses (ft Talib Kweli)
310 - Clinton Sparks - G.O.O.D. Music (ft Common, Talib Kweli & Consequence)
311 - Talib Kweli - Someday (ft Torae, John Robinson & Tiffany Paige) 

          (Madwreck Remix)
312 - Bamboo Bros. - Let It Go (ft Talib Kweli & Kendra Ross)
313 - The New Congress - Anguish, Love & Romance (ft Talib Kweli)
314 - Melanie Fiona - Give It To Me Right (Remix) (ft Talib Kweli)
315 - Shaun Boothe - Concepts (ft Talib Kweli)
316 - Alchemist - Therapy (ft Evidence, Blu, Talib Kweli & Kid Cudi)
317 - Royce Da 5'9'' - Give Up Your Guns (ft Talib Kweli & Raekwon)
318 - Chester French & Clinton Sparks - I'm So Tall (ft Bun B, Talib Kweli & 

           Mickey Factz)
319 - Skyzoo - When I Rhyme (ft Talib Kweli & Reks)
320 - Talib Kweli - My Favorite Song
321 - MC Hush - Let It Breathe (ft Talib Kweli) [BONUS TRACK]
322 - KRS-One & Buckshot - Oh Really Remix (ft Talib Kweli & Geo) 

          [BONUS TRACK]