After a brief hiatus, numerous album release pushbacks and The Beautiful Mix CD Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli returns with The Beautiful Struggle. Can Kweli repeat and even surpass the success of Quality, a GeoClan.com Globe scale classic? Let's us not delay instead deciding to jump into the review with speed!

"Going Hard" sounds like a presidential entering than breaks down to a full sounding Hip Hop beat.   Kweli talks about grinding hard and working to be a better person, community and people.   Kweli makes commentary about the government, revolution and the fact that he is one of the few that would come out so strong.

"Back Up Offa Me" brings Reflection Eternal back together as Hi-Tek does the beat and Kweli spits on the mic about people who start acting shady and changing up their attitudes as well as the business of being a paid entertainer.   The beat isn't one of Hi-Tek's greatest but gets the job done and the chorus is hilarious.

"Broken Glass" is the Neptunes and Talib on the same track something unexpected but hot nonetheless.   On the track Kweli talks about how unpredictable life is and how you just have to do it sometimes because planning in excess is dangerous.

"We Know" is Kweli jump into the love song and he talks about loving a person and doing the best to stay together despite the hate from the sideline.   Faith Evans sings the chorus and does a great job as usual making you feel the emotion of the Supa Dave West track.

Antwan Thompson produces the track for "A game" and Kweli comes out aggressively talking dealing with a corny MC and getting mad only to be calmed down by a female. Kweli talks about his prowess as an MC and his aspirations to get paid in the rap game not just float on the life raft.

Mary J. Blige brings her vocal talents to the first single off the album: "I Try", a soulful track produced by Kanye West. Kweli talks about doing the best he can and loving the beautiful struggle of life.   This song can be another message song like "Get By" because of its simple chorus and educational lyrics.   The song makes you want to get up and do something positive for yourself and your people!

"Around My Way" uses the Police classic "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and adds soul to it complete with John Legend helping on the track.   Kweli talks about the streets and elements that make his neighborhood Brooklyn and most of our communities.

"We Got The Beat" features a up-tempo sound complete with elements of Rock and Techno. Philadelphia's Res helps out on the chorus and Kweli spits about the music game and more.   This track is fun and Kweli points out that Hip Hop is on top of the music world as well as culture so we must lead the way the right way.   Dirty Swift and Bruce Waynne of Midi Mafia produce the track.

Work It Out is Kweli and Hi-Tek's second track together on the track (J.R. also co-produced the track) and Kweli talks about working things out in most situations whether it be a argument or something smaller.   You could also use the song as a track to your workout.   Kweli presents several situations you can all relate to and why working it out is the best option.

"Ghetto Show" is a banging track featuring Common rapping and Anthony Hamilton singing the chorus.   Kweli and Common both have great verses but Kweli makes a play on Jay-Z line complementing him by switch it up and saying "If lyrics sold, than truth be told, I'd be probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z. Truthfully I want to rhyme like Common Sense. Next best thing I do a record with Common Sense." This song is about the urban environment in the truest essence.

Kweli has seen the Black Women go down a negative path thanks to a host factors and he talks about them in "Black Girl Pain".   The track that which features a group of women (Jamia Simone Nash, Elizabeth "Yummy" Bingham, Olivia Charnise Nash and Tiffany Nash on the chorus and also Res on the second verse talks about the women that shape the world and his life in particular.   The MC talks protecting the women and also women believing they are beautiful.   I see a lot of Black women and girls walking around and I think about their journeys and expectations as women.   The song is hot and should played in the homes of Black women more than Nelly's "Flap Your Wings" is sadly!

"Never Been In Love" is produced by Just Blaze and Kweli lets people know he doesn't care about what others say he is in love for the first time.   The beat is fire and you can hear the emotion Kweli is feeling.

"Beautiful Struggle" is the third and best Reflection Eternal track on the LP and in it he talks about life as a activist and artist.   The chorus features a hook talking about the revolution being here and how he's trying to change the world. His lyrics do the same and Kweli talks about working in schools, politics and church among other things. He says, "the revolution is here, the revolution is personal"

Overall this album is very good and Kweli continues to show why he is a dynamic MC.   His skills come out best in songs like "I Try", "Beautiful Struggle" and "Black Girl Pain" and while "Work It Out" and "Broken Glass" aren't bad songs at all they do make you think Kweli could be doing the more substantial stuff and letting the regular MCs do the dance sounding tracks regardless of the lyrical content he presents because it will confuse some novice listeners.

The album is good throughout but doesn't sock you in the jaw as his previous two did. In fact, he is probably a victim of his own success as this LP is a close third to his solo LP, Quality, and the Reflection Eternal LP, Train Of Thought.  

I'll give it four strong GeoClan.com Globes.   There is still room to grow and more material we haven't heard from Talib Kweli but he is still better than the above average MC and is one of the few who stretches the game every time he picks up the microphone.

Any questions, comments, suggestions email Clayton Ruley at clayton@geoclan.com.