Talib Kweli Concert Review

The Sound Academy was a packed sea of hip-hop heads ready to witness the presence of hip-hop excellence as Talib Kweli hit up Toronto on his Prisoner of Consciousness tour last Friday. Toronto’s own 4th Pyramid and Seattle emcee J. Pinder opened the show to an energetic crowd who braved the rain to take in the lyrical talent of three artists who are bringing it back to the roots of old school hip-hop.

Brooklyn lyricist and former Black Star member, Talib Kweli, jumped on the stage with intense confidence, rocking a jean jacket, NY fitted and frames, yet showed his humble personality by shouting out his opening acts, which most headlining artists never take the time to acknowledge.
With a live band, he started off the show with his own rendition of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and dedicated the concert to the late MCA. Even as a hip-hop legend himself, Kweli paid homage to the greats of the game that we have lost, dedicating songs to Pimp C and rocking an Andy Warhol T of Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

With the announcement of his upcoming album, Prisoner of Consciousness, Kweli took the opportunity to debut a single off the project, which is yet to have a release date, and spit over DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One”. All attention was on Kweli as he performed solo tracks such as “Strangers (Paranoid)” off of Reflection Eternal, “Lonely People” off of The Beautiful Mix CD, “Down For The Count” and “Gutter Rainbows” off of Gutter Rainbows, as well as Black Star joints such as “Another World” and “Definition”, which had the crowd screaming for more through the smoky haze. If concert goers weren’t high off the music and energy, just breathing in the air at the Sound Academy was enough to do the trick.

An army of hundreds of hip-hop heads bobbed their heads in unison and rapped along with the emcee who has impacted the game with his stimulating messages and inspiring mindset. Kweli had nothing to prove on the stage and no effort was needed to get the crowd hype. His OG stage presence, powerful voice and technical thought-provoking tracks were all the crowd needed to jump, dance, sing and rap along to every word and focus on every move. It was refreshing to see that much love and positive energy at a hip-hop show in Toronto, especially with the violence that took place at the same venue just a month prior.