Mobb Deep and Talib Kweli

The duo came together when they both enrolled at the High School of Art and Design in New York City. When they first formed, they were the self proclaimed ‘Poetical Prophets’, but changed their name to Mobb Deep to “reflect their reputation on the streets”.

Their reputation began to grow when they found success with their second album, “The Infamous” which was released on April 25th 1995. The album was described as a narration of street life, and it was the single “Shook Ones Pt. II” that received positive critical acclaim within the hip-hop community. With a career that was growing exponentially, Mobb Deep’s third album, entitled “Hell on Earth”, released on November 19th 2006, on Loud, RCA and BMG Records that climbed into the Billboard 200 and reached a peak position of #6. The two singles from the album “Front Lines (Hell on Earth)” and “G.O.D Pt. III” made it to 13 and 18 in the Hot Rap Singles Chart.

Mobb Deep were on the front line of the East Coast vs West Coast hip-hop rivalry, which was of course promoted by the media. It began when Snoop Dogg and the West Coast group, The Dogg Pound released “New York, New York”, to which Mobb Deep alongside Capone-N-Noreaga and Tragedy Khadafi lashed back with “L.A L.A”.

They released the album “Infamy in 2001, which was a step in another direction musically diverting away from the raw and stripped-down sound. With change, comes criticism, especially fans claiming that their favourite act have sold out. Their career would go on to earn a place in the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV”. With a new label signing on 50 Cent’s G-Unit Recrods, they released their seventh studio album “Blood Money” on May 2nd 2006. The album features guest appearances from Nate Dogg and Mary J.Blige.

On April 1st 2014, the hip-hop duo released their eighth studio album, “The Infamous Mobb Deep". The album features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Juicy J.

Kweli was born into an affluent family, with both parents in academia and a younger brother who eventually became a professor at Columbia Law School. Kweli took an interest in music and the arts, listening to afrocentric rappers like De La Soul. He also studied experimental theater at New York University. His first name Talib means “student” in Arabic.

Kweli began putting out music in the underground rap scene with producer Hi-Tek in 1995. After meeting Yasiin Bey, a rapper that goes by Mos Def, in Central Park, Kweli introduced the two and began producing music under their name Black Star. The duo’s debut album “Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star” dropped in 1998 followed by the sophomore album “Train of Thought” in 2000. Both albums achieved moderate success.

Before branching off independently, Kweli contributed to a few collaborations in the hip hop scene like “Hip Hop For Respect” in 2000, which raised awareness of police brutality. He also participated in the Red Hot Organization compilations, which helped raise awareness for fighting AIDS. Kweli finally went down his own path in 2002 with his debut album “Quality.” The single “Get By” produced by Kanye West is one of Kweli’s most popular commercial hits. Kweli was featured on the hip hop artist’s song “Get ‘Em High” from his 2004 “College Dropout” album.

Kweli’s follow up album “The Beautiful Struggle” was released in 2004 with contributing artists such as The Neptunes and Kanye West. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marked the shift toward mainstream hip hop with songs like “Ghetto Show.” By this time Kweli had made numerous appearances on comedian and rapper Dave Chapelle’s show, which helped to promote his and Mos Def’s latest work.

Talib Kweli has two labels: Blacksmith Records and Javotti Media. He was featured in a commercial for the NCAA Big Ten Conference in 2006. In 2007 his hit “Infinite Love” was part of the “You Got Served: Beat the World” soundtrack. Kweli is known to be an activist against police brutality and the prison system.