In contrast to so many rappers today who pride themselves on 'going dumb' and acting 'ignant,' Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli prides himself on staying smart, both in his life (along with Mos Def he owns an independent, non-profit black bookstore in Brooklyn) and through his refreshingly conscious music that harks back to the golden age of hip-hop, when saying something positive was as important as a laying down a
catchy hook for the radio and dancefloor. It is no coincidence that "Kweli" in Swahili means "true," since the artist is 100% true to hip-hop as a positive black art form meant to uplift rather than dumb-down the masses.Like his longtime collaborators and old Rawkus pals Mos Def and Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli has always stayed true to hip-hop's roots and yet has managed to stay
current and vital. Personally, I think he is one of the few contemporary artists making hip-hop that is worth a damn and when I first got his 2006 single "Listen" (off his new album Ear Drum), it just got stuck both in my head and on my turntable for weeks on end. It is the way hip-hop should be: good track and hook w
ith lyrics that actually say something. Check out the video for "Listen" below. But later today (Monday August 20th) if you are in the Los Angeles area you can probably see/hear him perform it live if you check out his Hollywood Amoeba Music instore. It starts at 6PM, but get there early to jockey a good position. And if, like me, you will not be in SoCal, take advantage of the live streaming of his instore via our website, also scheduled to start at 6PM Pacific Standard Time. 
monster side he does so with great flair and with a winning sense of humor, at times reminiscent of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. He rattles off some wonderful one-liners that just beg to be quoted or sampled.
It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the original release of "
until the deluxe versions of the movies come out. I want all the special stuff that they add on to the DVDs. And while there is always something missing, these versions often convince me to buy them. The Anniversary Edition of Labyrinth is 2 discs. I guess they meant to put this out last year as the 20th anniversary. But 21 years is close enough. Last year was also the 70th anniversary of Jim Henson's birth. The movie starred Jennifer Connelly as a young girl bored with babysitting. She imagines herself into the world of goblins and creatures and the evil leader "David Bowie." The film is brilliant. And with the work of Jim Henson the film was ahead of its time. The creature effects still hold up and end up looking better than any modern film such as The Lord of the Rings. And with David Bowie we get an amazing original soundtrack. The soundtrack included 5 original David Bowie songs. The songs were sort of cheesy at the time, so I don;t really think they have gotten any worse. And they are an integral part of the movie. I still know all the words to "Magic Dance" and "Underground." I always try to imagine this movie with Michael Jackson in the Bowie role. I don't know if it could have been better, but it for sure would have been amazing. 
