Talib Kweli, known around the world for his art and activism, comes to the U in celebration of the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. A famed social activist, Kweli promotes equality and awareness through his rapping and spoken word. The Office of Equity and Diversity will present Kweli in the Union Ballroom at noon on Jan. 21.
According to his website, Kweli has tried to bring “something that was less beholden to the world of hip-hop and more existing in the world in general” into his work, aware that his “music has been associated with … positivity, spirituality, intelligence and being thought-provoking.” This event will be no different. Amidst recent and longstanding suffering, oppression and injustice acted upon people of every race, creed and nationality across this nation and the globe, Kweli’s words will serve as an inspiration harking back to Martin Luther King, Jr. as a voice of awareness and motivation for change.
His powerful lyrics and clever rhymes have the power to electrify and impress. As expressions on vices of societal conventions, Kweli’s work emphasizes self-empowerment and discovery in being willing to contest the world’s preconceived notions. In “Hell” and “Lonely People,” written as both songs and spoken verse, Kweli highlights the conflict that “religion creates division, makes the Muslim hate the Christian/makes the Christian hate the Jew.” The world is “living in mass confusion, looking for absolution … based on [the world’s] interpretation of what the words were saying, trying to get to God but ended up doing the work of Satan.” These words resonate deeply in light of current events, such as the conflicts in the Middle East, police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter, #Paris, Beirut, school shootings and bomb threats. If ever we needed the inspiration from Dr. King, it is now.
“Lonely people all through the city, blank stares like nobody care/in a room so exclusive nobody there.” As Kweli’s words express, the world does not have to be a lonely place. The violence and inequality in the world can be defeated if we listen to the teachings of our legends and our own morals.
“I like that he finds what he feels to be his own truth and that he challenges what he’s been taught. It’s cool because that’s we’re doing here in college: we’re questioning our professors; actually learning,” said Sarah Sleve, a freshman at the U.
Kweli is an artist who inspires mental growth and stretching of the soul in ways to which college students, in particular, can relate. He leaves from his keynote address to start his national tour in Los Angeles later in the day on Jan. 21.