Vibrate Higher

November 15, 2018

Celebrated hip hop artist Kweli has worked both independently and with folks like Mos Def, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Kendrick Lamar and in 2011 founded the music-film-and-books juggernaut Javotti Media. Here he delivers not just a memoir but the story of hip-hop as a political force. Big-deal publicity; originally scheduled for January 2019.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2020
The life and opinions of a hip-hop legend. "The truth is that most rappers are supernerds," writes Kweli early on. "While we live at the top of the nerd food chain, we are, without a doubt, nerds who are good with words." This memoir confirms what his work has communicated for years, demonstrating the sharp, nimble mind of an insatiable cultural omnivore. Unfortunately, there are instances in which he undercuts his obvious intelligence with self-satisfaction, and he slides easily into lecture mode, regularly interrupting his story to inform readers of his political views in ways that don't always keep the narrative moving. "While I was thirty-nine," he writes, "I could feel this newfound attitude approaching. I began to question myself less and others more. In most of the rooms I find myself in, I am often the most experienced....I speak not so much from a place of knowledge but from a place of wisdom. And it feels good. Damn good." Even readers who share the author's politics will find their presentation intrusive on what is otherwise such a compelling retrospective of an impressive life. Whether discussing how he used to cut school to hone his rapping skills in Washington Square Park or recounting how he took his maternal grandmother, "the Obama Mama," as his guest to the White House, Kweli turns back the pages of hip-hop history for music fans and has something to offer readers unfamiliar with his work. By the end of the book, even that latter group will appreciate the author's standing as one of the most respected emcees in hip-hop. This book has been in the works for a long time. Some may wish that Kweli--who is busy with recording, touring, podcast hosting, activism, and prolific tweeting--left himself more time to polish another classic. A valuable memoir featuring surprisingly average social commentary--thankfully, more of the former.

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November 30, 2020
Hip-hop musician Kweli recounts his rise through the music industry and shares his thoughts on current events in this outspoken and enthusiastic memoir. Kweli shares his upbringing as a “supernerd” from a middle-class Brooklyn family who went to boarding school and later incorporated Afro-centric philosophy into his “Black consciousness” hip-hop style. He narrates his rise as a whirl of deals and tours, collaborations with celebrities including Jay-Z and Dave Chappelle, recording sessions, and confrontations with industry execs who mismarketed his music and business managers who neglected his finances. Kweli is effusive about most of the musicians he knows, and waxes mystically about the “vibe”—a blend of social scene and creative ferment—at the metaphysical heart of musical collaboration. (“A vibe cannot be re-created; it can only be appreciated for what it is.”) On nonmusic matters, he revisits his activism at the Ferguson, Mo., protests after the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, chastises President Trump and Kanye West for promoting white supremacy, battles tirelessly with racists on Twitter, and weighs in on his privilege (“As a straight American male, I was born into at least three oppressor groups”). The tone leans toward the hyperbolic at times, but the prose remains strong throughout. Kweli’s fans are in for a treat.

December 15, 2020
With a direct and detailed style, rapper Kweli takes readers from his Brooklyn beginnings through the heights of his professional life. He writes with much respect for his family, especially his educator parents, and his collaborators over two decades in hip-hop. Fans will appreciate the thorough approach as Kweli recounts life-changing connections with Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), DJ Hi-Tek, a then up-and-coming producer named Kanye West, and many others, and details the recording process from beats to album pressings. He re-creates scenes in Greenwich Village and other NYC spots that formed the fabric of 1990s underground hip-hop, and shares how working at (and eventually owning) Brooklyn's Nkiru Books influenced his development as an artist and activist. This book was originally scheduled for publication in 2019 and reads as such, addressing the Trump presidency and the author's involvement with Black Lives Matter but not covering any events of 2020 (including Kweli's recent public suspension from Twitter). As a time capsule of autobiography and hip-hop history, this will more than speak to Kweli's many fans.

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