Album Review: Talib Kweli – Prisoner of Conscious (2013)

This thing they call Hip hop is evolving at such a fast pace these days, it’s seriously hard work for a grizzly old school punter like myself to keep up. And of course these days, 30 odd years after the genre took its first formative steps on the mean streets of New York, the definition of “old school” is now something completely different to what it once was. For me it means Sugarhill, Def Jam, Grandmaster Flash, Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, the Beasties, and the earliest b-boy delights of Mantronix. For others, it will mean something far more contemporary.

Over the years I’ve abandoned any crazy notion of trying to keep up with a genre that only very rarely connects with me on any level beyond the superficial. But there are certain exponents of the form I’ve tended to follow ... at various times I’ve really enjoyed the work of The Roots, Mos Def, and Common. The odd album from Dr Dre (The Chronic) and Nas (Illmatic) have also left their mark, but generally I’m what you might call a Hip hop sceptic, and the more commercial the art-form has become, the less inclined I’ve been to embrace it. I dunno, maybe it’s just a contrarian thing.

 

And then there’s this guy, Talib Kweli. I can’t really say I’m a big fan but Kweli has frequently proven a reliable option whenever I’ve felt the need scratch the surface and dig a little deeper, whenever I’ve despaired at the overblown generic crap being served up under the guise of “Hip hop” by commercial radio or other forms of mainstream media.

Kweli has an impressive body of work behind him and I thought 2011’s Gutter Rainbows album was probably his best effort yet (though, in fairness, I haven’t heard a lot of his really early stuff). Either way, my enjoyment of Gutter Rainbows was the catalyst for me downloading Prisoner of Conscious when it was released earlier this year.

At first the album title itself comes across as being a little absurd … no, it isn’t supposed to be Prisoner of Conscience … I’m told that Kweli’s reference to “Conscious” comes from his standing as one of the leading exponents of a sub-genre called Conscious Rap.

So it’s Prisoner of Conscious, and that description does at least align with the type of material we’ve seen on past work, which has been more about the social and political, and less about the size of his wallet or the number of notches on his bedpost.

I have to say though, this album is something of a disappointment. I had expected more and very rarely does it rise above the ranks of the ordinary. It lacks a certain vitality and zest, the rhymes at times come across as slightly laboured, and despite there being some high profile names among the support cast – Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, and Nelly, for example – this isn’t anywhere near as compelling as it once might have been.

 

Of the 15 tracks on offer – at just under an hour of listening time – very few really stand out. ‘Turnt Up’ appeals as something of a curiosity with its ‘Paid In Full’ Mark 2 eccentricities (of both beat and flow), while the hired help of Miguel comes up trumps on the slowjam ‘Come Here’. Other than that, there isn’t much here to really grab me.

The album feels front loaded, and it seems all the best bits occur within the first 20 minutes. The second half in particular becomes an exercise in applying a little patience, one that isn’t really ever fully rewarded. I’m continually tempted to activate the metaphorical fast forward and the occasional auto-tuned chorus is usually more than enough to persuade me to do exactly that.

Ultimately, the most disappointing thing is that I know Talib Kweli is capable of much better than this. I’ll probably give it a few more spins in the months ahead but I won’t be revisiting this one with any degree of regularity, and when I do, I certainly won’t be harbouring the same level of expectation I did upon its arrival in my inbox.

I could be kind and suggest that the rest of a very mediocre field has slowly caught up with Kweli, but I genuinely don’t believe that’s the case. With Prisoner of Conscious, it feels like the opposite applies, that Kweli has lost a little of his former mojo, and this work feels like one giant step back into the abyss.

Albums of 2011 … Afterthoughts …

Since I finished compiling a list of what basically amounts to my “most listened to” albums of 2011 (see the ten most recent posts to this blog), I’ve had some thoughts on a few more 2011 releases that for one reason or another didn’t quite make the cut.

A couple of really strong hip hop albums I got into near the end of the year would probably have made my list had I taken the time to absorb them earlier – The Roots album Undun really is a masterclass in story-telling, and although it doesn’t grab me in quite the same way as How I Got Over did in 2010, it confirms my long held belief that when it comes to intelligent state-of-the-art hip hop, The Roots lead the way by some distance. These guys play live funk/hip hop crossover and do so better than any other act with claims on hip hop’s mythical throne. Make sure you check out Undun if you get the chance.

The second thoroughly enjoyable hip hop release from earlier in 2011 – and I’m no huge fan of the genre – was Talib Kweli’s Gutter Rainbows which continues a run of solid releases from a guy I know very little about. Talib Kweli’s strengths are found in timing and flow, and on Gutter Rainbows he delivers a superb set, with some powerful semi-political lyrics underpinned by a variety of beats and samples. This is another album worth checking out if – like me – you view hip hop with a smattering of cynicism but nonetheless keep willing yourself to remain open-minded about it.

Beyond that, Jamie Woon’s Mirrorwriting came extremely close to making the final selection – tracks like ‘Night Air’, ‘Lady Luck’, ‘Shoulda’, and ‘Spirits’ are all fine examples of Woon’s longer term potential as an artist/producer. The main reason Mirrorwriting didn’t quite get there for me was the realisation that I actually preferred remixed versions of many of Woon’s tracks – as opposed to the originals as found on the album itself. Woon seemed to be everywhere in 2011 – his own remix of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’ rates as one of the definitive versions of what became one of 2011’s most talked about songs, while a moody yet brilliant remix of Woon’s ‘Spirits’ by a producer called sy.ic was easily one of my electronic tracks of the year (see video link below).

I really wanted to include the Easy Star All-Stars album First Light on my list but over time I came to realise that for all that it was nice to see this collective finally release an album of original material – after successfully covering Pink Floyd and Radiohead on previous efforts (a version of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper – um, not so much) – it was ultimately a fairly bland piece of work. First Light was just too generic and “safe” for my taste; despite making a good impression initially, it failed to move me much beyond the first few listens. I had expected more from this group. The Dubmatix remix of the title track is still well worth checking out however.

 New Zealand album of the year – Vorn’s Down For It, without a shadow of a doubt. I picked up this quirky pop album in exchange for a crisp $20 note from a close friend of Vorn Colgan, and I foolishly thought it would remain something akin to an intimate little secret but boy was I wrong. It turns out every critic and his dog was raving about this humourous and talented Wellingtonian come year-end. Down For It is strongly recommended.

Reissue(s) of the year – Paul McCartney (1970) and Paul McCartney II (1980). I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of the updated deluxe versions of each of these albums (on CD) by the prolific Graham Reid of Elsewhere http://www.elsewhere.co.nz/

Thanks Graham, your efforts and random weekly giveaways are much appreciated! A superb package, and it surprised me how listenable these albums were, even after all these years. The bonus discs (one for each) contained the genuine highlights however and they offer yet another reminder of what a talent Paul McCartney was. If you’re looking for an insight into the real Paul McCartney – outside of his life with The Beatles or as Wings’ leading man – then you could do a lot worse than to start right here. This is Paul McCartney solo, naked, raw, and not really conforming to anyone else’s expectations. There is some weird and wonderful stuff here, with bonus points given for historical significance.

Here's a sy.ic remix of Jamie Woon's 'Spirits' ...