Legacy of Talib Kweli
Artists and genres Talib Kweli directly influenced — one hop forward on the family tree of music.
Kool G RapartistNathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
Rah DiggaartistRashia Tashan Fisher, known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, Dirty Harriet (2000), peaked in the top-20 of the Billboard 200, and she released her second album, Classic, in 2010. She starred in the horror film Thirteen Ghosts (2001) as Maggie.
Commonartist
Pharoahe MonchartistTroy Donald Jamerson, better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.
Nineartist
El-PartistJaime Stuart Meline, better known by the stage name El-P, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a member of the widely acclaimed Company Flow, and has been a driving force in alternative hip-hop since the 1990s. He is now most widely-known as one half of Run the Jewels. He has produced for rappers including Aesop Rock, Cage, and Mr. Lif. He was a member of The Weathermen and was the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label.
John Brown's BodyartistJohn Brown's Body is an American eight-piece reggae and dub band with origins in Ithaca, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. With a two-decade-long tenure, they have been recognized for their intricate fusion of vocals, percussion, keyboard, bass, guitar and a three-piece horn section. John Brown's Body, also known as JBB, has been credited with contributing to the development of the "contemporary American reggae scene", as stated by Rudeboy Reggae.
dead prezartistDead Prez is an American hip hop duo composed of M-1 and stic.man, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self-determination, and Pan-Africanism. The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip hop record labels.
- Ahmed Soultanartist
Ahmed Soultan is a Moroccan singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the leaders of the "Nayda".
- Asheruartist
Gabriel C. Benn, better known as Asheru, is an American rapper, educator, and youth activist. He performed the opening and closing themes for the TV series The Boondocks.
FashawnartistSantiago Leyva, better known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American rapper from Fresno, California. He first gained recognition for his debut studio album Boy Meets World (2009), which received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. He signed with Nas' record label Mass Appeal Records in 2014 to release his similarly-acclaimed second album and major label debut, The Ecology (2015).
Pete Philly & PerquisiteartistPete Philly & Perquisite is a hip hop duo from the Netherlands consisting of Pedro Philip Monzón as the MC/vocalist and Pieter "Perquisite" Perquin as the musicproducer and composer. Their music is best described as hip hop with influences from jazz, broken beat and soul.
Tommy TeeartistTommy Flåten, best known by his stage name Tommy Tee, is a Norwegian record producer, rapper, broadcaster, record executive, concert promoter and magazine publisher. He is known as the godfather of Norwegian hip hop. Tee owns the label Tee Productions, which is located in Oslo, Norway and is Norway's leading hip hop label. He also published Norway's oldest graffiti magazine Fat Cap, and hosts a weekly national rap radio program.
Dyme-A-Duzinartist
The Procussionsartist
Jon Connorartist
Ice PrinceartistPanshak Henry Zamani better known as Ice Prince or Ice Prince Zamani, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after releasing "Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed songs of all time. He won the 2009 Hennessy Artistry Club Tour. His debut studio album Everybody Loves Ice Prince was released in 2011. It was supported by three singles: "Oleku", "Superstar" and "Juju". In 2013, Ice Prince released Fire of Zamani as his second studio album. The album contained the singles "Aboki", "More", "Gimme Dat" and "I Swear". On 1 July 2015, Ice Prince was announced as the vice president of Chocolate City. He held the position until leaving the label in 2016. He has collaborated with several African rappers, including Navio, Khaligraph Jones, AKA, and Sarkodie.
Macklemoreartist
The College DropoutartistThe College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but he faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
- Waleartist
Nnekaartist
Cordaeartist
2PacartistTupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. He was one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century, and a prominent political activist for Black America. He is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Some of Shakur's music addressed social injustice, political issues, and the marginalization of African Americans, but he was also synonymous with gangsta rap and violent lyrics.
Vince StaplesartistVincent Jamal Staples is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He first became known for his appearances on the projects from Odd Future members and affiliates, including Earl Sweatshirt's Earl (2010) and Doris (2013), Mike G.’s Ali (2010) and The Jet Age of Tomorrow's Journey to the 5th Echelon (2010). He signed with Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records prior to the release of his collaborative mixtape with Mac Miller, Stolen Youth (2013). The following year, he signed with No I.D.'s ARTium Recordings, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings, to release his debut extended play, Hell Can Wait (2014), which received critical acclaim and marked his first entry on the Billboard 200.