Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Black Star, composed of rappers Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey. The album was released on September 29, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City as the two artists know it.
The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, and Queen Latifah. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation. Rolling Stone cites the track "Doin' Our Own Dang" as "the definitive Native Tongues posse cut".
Dynamite MC is an English rapper and MC. He originally gained prominence in jungle/drum and bass, working with Roni Size & Reprazent, but has also released hip hop material.
"All Together Now" is a song by British band the Farm and the second single from their debut album, Spartacus (1991). The song was released in November 1990 by Produce, Jive, Sire and Reprise. Vocalist of the band, Peter Hooton wrote the lyrics in his early 20s, after reading about the Christmas truce of 1914. The song was first recorded under the title "No Man's Land" for a John Peel session in 1983. In 1990, Hooton wrote the chorus after Steve Grimes suggested putting the lyrics of "No Man's Land" to the chord progression of Pachelbel's Canon. To shorten the song for radio, the producer Suggs cut the song to three verses from its original six. Its accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe. "All Together Now" has been used by numerous football teams since, as well as by the Labour Party for their 2017 general election campaign, often played during rallies.
Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American rapper. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Grae's unique music and lyrical style have earned the artist recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Shareese Renée Ballard, better known by her stage name Res, is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her musical style is a blend of indie pop, soul, and rock.
Graph Nobel is a Canadian indie/alternative/pop musician and songwriter. Her music is "hip-hop inspired with punk rock abandon".
Blacksmith is a music management company and a record label founded by Harlem-born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star.
Black Star is an American hip hop duo formed in 1996, from Brooklyn, New York City. The duo is composed of rappers Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. The duo is named after The Black Star Line, a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey. Their critically-acclaimed debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star was released on September 29, 1998. After decades of only releasing singles and appearing on compilations, Black Star released their sophomore studio album No Fear of Time May 3, 2022 on the podcasting platform Luminary.
The Soulquarians were a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Members of the collective included singer and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, producer J Dilla, singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, singer Bilal, bassist Pino Palladino, rapper-producers Q-Tip, Mos Def ,Talib Kweli, Common, Slum Village. Prior to its formation, Q-Tip, Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli were members of the Native Tongues collective, while Q-Tip's original group A Tribe Called Quest served as another inspiration behind the Soulquarians.
Nkiru Books was one of the longest operating African-American bookstores in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Founded by Leothy Miller Owens in 1976, the bookstore was bought by Talib Kweli and Mos Def in 2000. Thereafter it was operated as the Nkiru Center for Education and Culture, a nonprofit organization promoting literacy and multicultural awareness for people of color. In its last incarnation it was located at 732 Washington Avenue.
Droga5 is a global advertising agency headquartered in New York City with offices in London and Tokyo.
Camo & Krooked are an electronic music duo from Vienna, Austria with their musical roots embedded in drum and bass, consisting of Reinhard "Camo" Rietsch and Markus "Krooked" Wagner.
Ayah Marar is a Jordanian/Bulgarian singer and songwriter based in the UK. She has been featured as a vocalist or writer on music from British artists including Calvin Harris, DJ Fresh, Camo & Krooked, Bassline Smith and Jack Peñate. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Bass" and the "dubstep queen".
The Justice Collective was a collective of musicians and celebrities. The project is spearheaded by Peter Hooton of the Farm. It was originally established in 2012 as a fund-raising record raising money for the various charities associated with the Hillsborough disaster. It is best known for its charity single "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" in 2012. A closely related collective known as the Peace Collective released the charity single "All Together Now" in 2014.
David Droga is an Australian advertising executive, creative entrepreneur and the founder of Droga5, an advertising agency headquartered in New York City with offices in London, Tokyo, São Paulo and Dublin.
Rhythm and Alps is the South Island sister festival of Rhythm & Vines held in Cardrona Valley near Wānaka, New Zealand. The festival began in 2011 in Terrace Downs and in 2013 relocated to its current venue Cardrona Valley.
Nikolai Paiva, better known by his stage name Niko Is, is a Brazilian-American hip hop recording artist born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Currently based in Orlando, Florida, he is signed to Talib Kweli's Javotti Media. Niko's catalogue includes projects like Chill Cosby and the Good Blood LP, which were both released to generally positive reviews and moderate success. His Javotti Media debut, Brutus, was produced by frequent collaborator, Thanks Joey and was released to critical acclaim on February 4, 2015.
Dil Anthony Ajufo aka Mr DiL is a British-Nigerian singer and record producer. He is also a film editor, audio sound engineer and AMVCA nominee known for his work on Sugar Rush, Nneka The Pretty Serpent, Introducing The Kuju’s and The Order Of Things. In music, He is best known for his 2019 sound track to the Kasanova movie Don’t Let Go and his song Pretty Girls featuring Iyanya. His previous work includes his collaboration with Yemi Alade on the popular song Temperature. as well as production and collaboration credits with artists including Wizkid Red Rhythm Boyz II Men, Leona Lewis, Michelle Williams Electric Giant Beatz and more. He won a silver sales award for his work on the Lavelle smith Bodylicious soundtrack. His production company is called Trakk Studios and his film credits include Sugar Rush, Kasanova, Nneka the Pretty Serpent, Clued Up and more.
Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.
