Hip-hop artist Talib Kweli will headline a concert Saturday, Feb. 12, A&O Productions announced Thursday.
More than 1,200 tickets will go on sale for the Patten Gymnasium show for $5 at the Norris Box Office Friday at
10:30 a.m.
Kweli’s sophomore album “Beautiful Struggle” hit number 14 on the Billboard charts and met critical acclaim on its debut in September.
He may be best known for his past collaborative efforts with artists Kanye West and Mos Def.
Kweli teamed up with West, a Chicago native, for songs on the 2004 album “College Dropout,” and formerly rapped with Mos Def in the group Black Star.
Black Star released a self-titled album in 1998 but the two socially-minded artists now are pursuing independent careers with Rawkus Records.
A&O Chairman Brian Bockrath said the group didn’t set out to do another hip-hop show after Mos Def came in 2003, and The Roots headlined A&O’s annual ball at the Riveria in 2004. But the group discovered a lot of student enthusiasm for Kweli in recent results from its online student survey.
“We’ve been running this survey for the past few weeks and we got a lot of requests for Talib,” said Bockrath, a McCormick senior. “And a lot of people might not even realize they know him.”
Kweli may not have the status or the bling of some of his peers, but he has their respect.
Jay-Z gave Kweli a complimentary shout-out on his “Black Album” in 2003.
“If skills sold, truth be told/I’d probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli,” Jay- Z rapped.
Doug Singer, A&O’s director of concerts, said he hopes Kweli will appeal to a broad range of musical tastes and intellects. When Kweli tours, he doesn’t just sing but also speaks about various social issues.
“He’s definitely a more socially-minded hip-hop artist,” said Singer, a Weinberg junior.
A&O also is advertising a “special guest” for the show, but Singer said the additional performer’s name will not be revealed until A&O confirms the contract.
Kweli fan Frank Zou, a McCormick freshman, said he likes that A&O chooses some unconventional performers.
“His style and his beats are a lot different from other mainstream rap artists,” Zou said. “This is a pretty good pick, but I’d like to see more underground artists from the Chicago area.”
Weinberg sophomore Aaron Hobson said he’s excited for the show because Kweli makes people think.
“You’re never hearing these words coming out of his mouth, ‘We’re getting crunked at the club,'” Hobson said. “He’s an artist with a capital ‘A,’ and I don’t use that word recklessly.”
The Daily’s Diana Scholl contributed to this report.
Reach Maren Dougherty at [email protected].
