Talib Kweli and Jean Grae

If skills sold, Talib Kweli would have been one of the most commercially successful rappers of his time. As it was, however, the earnest MC became one of the most critically successful rappers of his time, which dawned in the late ’90s when he rapped alongside Mos Def and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star. In fact, he was one of the most admired and respected rappers on the major-label circuit during the mid-2000s, best evidenced by Jay Z’s famous Black Album rhyme: “If skills sold, truth be told/I’d probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli.”

Born in Brooklyn as the eldest of two sons born to college professors, Kweli’s first name, Talib, is an Arabic name meaning “the seeker or student”, while his last name is a Ghanaian name meaning “of truth or knowledge”. He began developing his literary gift in elementary school, when he’d write short stories, poems, and that sort of stuff. It wasn’t until years later in high school that he turned to hip-hop as an outlet for his self-expression.

In anticipation of his next solo album, Kweli collaborated with producer Madlibs on the digital-only Liberation, which was made available as a free download during the first week of 2007 on the Stones Throw website. Finally, in August of that same year, Kweli issued the full-length album Eardrum on his own label, Blacksmith, via a partnership with Warner Brothers. Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and selling about 60,000 copies in its first week, Eardrum was Kweli’s best-selling album to date and features beats from not only Madlib but also Hi-Tek, Kanye West, Pete Rock, and will.i.am, among others, and features guests like Norah Jones, UGK, Justin Timberlake, and Strong Arm Steady.

Although she was born in South Africa, Jean Grae (real name Tsidi Ibrahim) will always be a New Yorker by heart. The daughter of two jazz musicians, Jean learned an appreciation for all genres of music at an early age. She attended the High School of Performing Arts as a vocal major and was later accepted to New York University as a Music Business major.