Talib Kweli

The ten best hip-hop shows in Denver this April

SAGE FRANCIS @ FOX THEATRE | THU, 4/18 When evaluating an artist like Sage Francis, the question inevitably arises: Should a musician be cherished for the values they hold and their loyalty to said values or their ability to make enjoyable and listenable music? If it's the former, then Sage Francis ... More >>

The 50 best rap lyrics of all time: Complete list

Last week, we took a look at the fifty worst rap lyrics of all time. Going through all the dreck and drivel to get to the crème de la crème of crappiness was tedious and rather exhausting. This week, we even things out by taking a look at the other end of the spectrum and examining rap lyrics to f ... More >>

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

YO GABBA GABBA! @ PARAMOUNT THEATRE | SUN, 2/24/13 Sesame Street couldn't handle mixing kids' programming with Katy Perry cleavage, but Yo Gabba Gabba! gets it right every time. Perhaps it's because one of the show's creators, Christian Jacobs, is MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. After becoming a f ... More >>

Ten best hip-hop shows in Denver this month

February is already off to a good start for hip-hop with a pair of great shows this past weekend, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks and Brother Ali with Prof, Danny Brown and Evidence at Cervantes'. Even excluding those shows, the rest of the month looks to be just as enti ... More >>

Black Star at Cervantes', 5/11/12

BLACK STAR @ CERVANTES' | 05.11.12 The first strains of the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" started blaring through the speakers as Yasiin Bey shook himself onto the stage to thunderous screams of applause. Wielding an red old school "drop mike," the Brooklyn MC fist pumped and enticed the cr ... More >>

Weekend's best live bets: the Fray, the Lumineers, Leftover Salmon, Drake and more

Welcome to the weekend! The sun's hiding this morning and rain's in the forecast for the next few days, but even that can't dampen spirits today. The Nuggets destroyed the Lakers last night, and you've got another full slate of local goodness on tap this weekend: Tonight the Fray kicks off a two-nig ... More >>

#ShitRappersSay on stage in Denver

The next few days kick off what will no doubt be a summer of hip-hop shows to remember in the Mile High City: Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) and Talib Kweli (as Black Star) will be swooping through the town this weekend, as will Drake on his Club Paradise Tour, featuring J.Cole, Waka Flocka, 2Chainz, ... More >>

Black Star

Friday, May 11, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Talib Kweli keynote speaker at Metro State College for its Sankofa Lecture Series

Talib Kweli got all hip-hop scholarly this past Friday as the keynote speaker for the spring Sankofa Lecture Series at Metropolitan State College of Denver. The event was designed to focus on the anthropology of hip-hop, and Kweli, who was succinct and clear with his message, was absolutely dynamic ... More >>

Black Star show at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom this Saturday moved to Friday, May 11

Update (4/10): We've confirmed that Talib Kweli will indeed be performing at Cervantes this Satruday, April 14, in place of Black Star, originally slated for that same date but moved to 5/11. Tickets for the show are $5 ($10 on Saturday for those under 21). Heads up, hip-hop heads: Black Star (the ... More >>

Win tickets to see Talib Kweli tonight at Beta

Update: Contest is over. Congrats to David Roth. He and a guest will be our guests at Beta tonight. Thanks for all the entries. Happy Thanksgiving. Whatcha doing tonight? Partying, we presume. You do know that next to New Year's Eve, tonight is the hottest club night of the year, right? Well, it is ... More >>

A first look at Foodchain's new video for "Yes Indeed (G-Girl)" from the Corpses album

​Foodchain, still riding high off the re-release of its Showoff Digital debut, Corpses, and the acclaim the crew has earned from respected rap heads like Statik Selektah, Big Pooh and Talib Kweli, is back with the second video from the record, "Yes Indeed (G-girl)." Before pressing play, you h ... More >>

Tonight: Hip Hop Fest at Cervantes' featuring Fashawn

​Though his debut album, Boy Meets World, came out in 2009, rapper Fashawn has flourished more within the realm of the mixtape, a format he's been using since 2006. Among his many mixtape releases came Ode to Illmatic, a track-by-track take on the classic Nas album that showcased Fashawn's unc ... More >>

Talib Kweli at Cervantes, 12/03/10

​ TALIB KWELI With Chicharones • Food Chain 12.03.10 | Cevantes' Masterpiece Ballroom Talib Kweli embodied the tried-and-true show-business rule that no matter what, the show must go on. Having seen him live tons of times, I usually come with the premise that if you've seen the Brooklyn MC ... More >>

The Food Chain practices "Reverse Psychology" and prepares to shoot video with Talib Kweli

​To coincide with the reissue of Corpses, the debut full-length from the Food Chain, which dropped this week on iTunes, Showoff Digital,the group's label headed by Statik Selektah, premiered the video for "Reverse Psychology," a bonus track from the re-release, earlier this week. The clip fe ... More >>

John Mellencamp, Rose Hill Drive, Tech N9ne shows announced

​Touring in support of his latest effort, No Better Than This, John Mellencamp comes to the Temple Buell Theatre on Wednesday, April 6. Tickets range from $44.50 to $130 and go on sale this Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. -- and include a digital download of the T Bone Burnett-produced album, wh ... More >>

The Foodchain signs distro deal with Statik Selektah's Showoff Digital imprint

Marci Johnson​ Props are due to the Foodchain, which has reportedly signed a distribution deal with Statik Selektah's Showoff Records imprint. Statik delivered the news himself last week during his Showoff Radio program on Sirius's Shade 45 channel (listen after the jump), when he played "Ric ... More >>

Mile High hip-hop on the move: Food Chain and Time on CMJ hip-hop chart.

​ Looks like props are due to Food Chain and Time, whose new releases both registered on the CMJ Hip-Hop chart this month. Time's Naked Dinner, which entered the charts late last month, peaked at #19, while Food Chain's Corpses, which features a track with Talib Kweli that's garnered the atte ... More >>

The Foodchain's Corpses coming to life

Wow! Corpses, the new album from the Foodchain, a group profiled in these pages last week, has been out just over a week now, and it's already generating a swelling buzz across the nation. The blog 2DopeBoyz posted a track from the new album featuring Talib Kweli, as did XXLMag.com -- talk about a s ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Mos Def and Talib Kweli at the Gothic Theatre

Letitia Salazar​Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, DCQ, Spoke-In-WordzGothic TheatreFriday, August 21, 2009Better Than: anything Lil Wayne or Drake could pull offMos Def hasn't headlined a nationwide tour since the Lyricist Lounge tour in 2000, where he recruited folks like Bernie Worrell (of ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Booze, beats and bachelorettes

Letitia Salazar​ It was a busy weekend in Denver, with a fashion show on Thursday, Mos Def and Talib Kweli at the Bluebird on Friday, the Avett Brothers at the Ogden on Saturday, the Flaming Lips at Red Rocks on Sunday, and the grand opening of a new nightclub downtown. So if you're looking t ... More >>

Last Night: Rock the Bells at Red Rocks

Aaron Thackeray​Rock the Bells 2009 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Thursday, August 6, 2009 Better than: ringtone rap, anything associated with Auto-Tune or listening to the self-proclaimed newly anointed "King of Pop," Kanye West, talk about himself endlessly. Since 2003, Rock the Bells has been the pre ... More >>

Over the weekend: 3 the Hardway at the Marquis Theater

3 the HardwayFebruary 28, 2009The Marquis TheatreBetter than: The Talib Kweli show the night before at Club Vinyl where you could have had your jaw tapped.Diamond BoizIn celebration of the release of their debut album, Set in Stone, rapper A.V.I.U.S., producer Es-Nine, and DJ Cysko Rokwel, collectiv ... More >>

Pharoahe Monch

Friday, December 12, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Call + Response

Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli

Friday Rap-Up: Basementalism, Hip-Hop 4 Obama, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Juvenile

Freeloader

The best in legitimate, artist-approved downloads.

Talib Kweli

Friday, February 1, Gothic Theatre, 303-830-8497.

Best 2007 - Miami: DJ I-Dee's Tracks to Relax

Last Night: Rock the Bells @ Red Rocks

Supernatural Speaks His Mind

Words are a weapon for hip-hop's reigning freestyle king.

On the Download

Linking you to the best in legitimate, artist-approved exclusives.

Talib Kweli

Friday, December 1, Ogden Theatre, 1-866-468-7621.

Recoup

The Coup makes up for lost time on its latest disc.

Pharoahe Monch

Thursday, November 10, and Friday, November 11, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-2525.

Danger Doom

The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)

Guru

Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (7 Grand Records)

Talib Kweli

The Beautiful Struggle (Rawkus)

Love the Player

Okayplayer.com is more than just a website. For some, it's a way of life.

Dead Prez

RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta (Sony/Columbia)

Fade to Black

Jay-Z hosts a listening party for his latest opus, The Black Album.

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Backwash

A Boulder student cares more about the life of hip-hop than the deaths of Biggie and Tupac.

Hit Pick

Elemental

On the Records

Backbeat contributors reflect on the releases that helped them survive the year 2000.

Eternal Life

Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek reflect on the once and future world of hip-hop.

Word of the Pharoahe

Pharoahe Monch thinks better hip-hop doesn't have to be a drag.

Year-End Close-Out

We've got 1998's best albums in stock, but they're going fast.

The Major and the Minor

A roundup of big-name recordings that live up (or down) to expectations.