Talib Kweli is one of the most talented, artful, and creative rappers of the past few decades. Known for collaborations with Mos Def, Kanye West, and his own solo work, he’s produced plenty of hits over the years, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Although it was over ten years ago, he got candid in one interview with Hard Knock TV in a way that’s absolutely still relevant today—perhaps more than ever. Basically, they were discussing MTV’s list of the hottest rappers at the moment, and the subject was brought up that they specifically mentioned the “hottest” rather than the best.
He said, “Lemme say this, MTV’s list was pretty accurate when you talk about ‘hottest’ rappers. Lil’ Wayne is the hottest rapper! Whether you like him or not, he the hottest. They didn’t say who the best, who the most creative, who the most lyrical. They said ‘who the hottest’, and ain’t nobody hotter than him.”
In response, Kweli got into who he considers to be the best in terms of talent, musicality, creativity, and influence. If you’re curious about who the rapper considers the best, you can find out his favourites below.
Talib Kweli’s five favourite artists:
5. Nas
When he started rattling off rappers that he considered to be some of the best, is it a surprise that Nas came up on his list? Not only are they relative contemporaries, but Nas is also one of the most influential rappers lyrically and musically. Objectively, he is one of the best.
4. Mos Def
Mos Def is another that he mentioned, which makes sense. As a longtime collaborator and an artist that he admires, it’s expected that he’d make the list. Beyond that, though, Mos Def is genuinely an amazing rapper and his work has been extremely influential on the genre.
3. Common
Another rapper that he mentioned when thinking about some of his favourite rappers, and it’s another one that makes a ton of sense. Common has been rapping for years, and his music is considered to be highly influential, promoting free thought and concise consciousness.
2. Black Thought (The Roots)
Kweli acknowledges that this might be an interesting choice, “The best mc, as far as what you talked about, creativity, lyrics holding it down, hands down ain’t nobody fucking with Black Thought from The Roots. He’s the best in the business doing it.”
He continues, “He doesn’t get the props because people look at The Roots as a band, and people are now starting to give The Roots props, just because of the numbers, and their consistency, but it’s hard for them to separate Black Thought from the group. As an mc, ain’t no better mc than him. Black Thought would definitely be my number one.”
1. Andre 3000
Even though Kweli technically named Black Thought as his number one earlier in the interview, what he said about Andre 3000 sort of tops that just by a little bit.
“Andre is somebody…Mos Def said this to me…Andre 3000 is so good that no one mentions him as a MC. Cause he’s that good. It’s like, who’s the best MC? Biggie? Jay-Z? Nas? Who? Somebody says Andre 3000, and it’s ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, well, of course! Of course him!’ Like it’s not even mentioned. That’s just a given. Of course. It’s like how Tony Hawk can’t compete in the competitions…It’s that type of thing.”
He continues with another comparison, “Michael Jordan with all respect to Jordan, could not come back and compete on the level of the youngsters, whereas Andre 3000 can, so it’s a little bit iller.”
