The Beautiful Struggle

Last updated
The Beautiful Struggle
Beautiful Struggle. Kweli.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 28, 2004
Recorded2003–2004
Genre Alternative hip hop
Length53:40
Label Rawkus, Geffen
Producer Hi-Tek, the Neptunes, Supa Dave West, Kanye West, Just Blaze, J. R. Rotem, Midi Mafia, Charlemagne, Tone Mason, Amadeus
Talib Kweli chronology
Quality
(2002)
The Beautiful Struggle
(2004)
Eardrum
(2007)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 66/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly B [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
HipHopDX Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Pitchfork Media 7.6/10 [8]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Spin B+ [1]
Vibe Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

The Beautiful Struggle is the second studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on September 28, 2004, by Rawkus Records and Geffen Records. It features guest appearances from Common, Faith Evans, Anthony Hamilton, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend.

Contents

The album was produced by Kanye West, the Neptunes, Supa Dave West, Just Blaze, and Hi-Tek. The first single, "I Try" featuring Mary J. Blige, was fairly popular as a music video, followed by the second single, "Never Been in Love".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [11]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Going Hard"
Charlemagne3:50
2."Back Up Offa Me" Hi-Tek 3:38
3."Broken Glass" The Neptunes 3:11
4."We Know" (feat. Faith Evans)
Supa Dave West3:43
5."A Game"
  • Greene
  • Antwan Thompson
Amadeus3:36
6."I Try" (feat. Mary J. Blige) Kanye West 4:25
7."Around My Way" (feat. John Legend)
  • Greene
  • Charlemagne
Charlemagne4:48
8."We Got the Beat" (feat. Res) Midi Mafia 3:20
9."Work It Out"
4:20
10."Ghetto Show" (feat. Common & Anthony Hamilton)
Supa Dave West4:47
11."Black Girl Pain" (feat. Jean Grae)
5:04
12."Never Been in Love"
Just Blaze 5:01
13."Beautiful Struggle"
  • Greene
  • Cottrell
Hi-Tek4:00

Sample Credits [11]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [11]

Chart positions

Chart (2004)Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [12] 39
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [13] 11
US Billboard 200 [14] 14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [15] 3

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References

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  2. Andy Kellman (2004-09-28). "The Beautiful Struggle - Talib Kweli | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  3. "Review: The Beautiful Struggle, The New Danger - Music - The Austin Chronicle". Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  4. "CG: talib kweli". Robert Christgau. 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  5. Seymour, Craig (2004-10-01). "The Beautiful Struggle". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  6. Alexis Petridis. "CD: Talib Kweli, The Beautiful Struggle". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  7. "Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle". HipHopDX. 2004-10-07. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  8. "Talib Kweli: The Beautiful Struggle | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2004-09-29. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  9. "Talib Kweli: The Beautiful Struggle". PopMatters. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  10. "Vibe - Google Livres". October 2004. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  11. 1 2 3 The Beautiful Struggle (booklet). Rawkus, Geffen. 2004.
  12. "Albums : Top 100". Jam! . October 21, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  13. "R&B : Top 50". Jam! . October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  14. "Talib Kweli Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  15. "Talib Kweli Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.