Alongside Mos Def, Talib Kweli was Black Star, a duo that created the soundtrack -- via hand-me-down cassette -- to this writer's late-'90s college days. Somehow, their socially conscious, Afrocentric hip-hop totally articulated how we felt as a nerdy, suburban white girl driving through the streets of South Beach.
So you can imagine our glee when we heard that Kweli will be hitting Miami to perform at Bardot for the Fourth of July weekend. The small, dark Midtown speakeasy's been getting some amazing names down here, and even if the drinks cost almost as much as our rent, we cannot and will not miss a good show.
Though not the biggest name in hip-hop, Kweli will always have an audience. After Black Star, he went on to release five solo albums, including the most recent, Gutter Rainbows.
Last week, he performed "Cold Rain" off the album on The Colbert Report. And before receiving a Talib Kweli hat as a present, Stephen Colbert introduced him, noting, "When he raises the roof, he's talking about the debt ceiling." But it's safe to say he's also capable of raising the roof in the traditional, get-down party sense too.
Talib Kweli, presented by Bardot and Gorillas in honor of Max Pierre's birthday will be a slew of DJs spinning, including Ideal, Keen One, Haitian Hillbilly, Johnny The Boy, Josh LeCash, Artime, and Lolo of Sweat Records. Sunday, July 3. Bardot, 3456 North Miami Ave., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. Call 305-588-8981 or visit bardotmiami.com.
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