Talib Kweli Challenges Us to Find His First Record - We Accept

A few days back, I got an e-mail from Nathan S. with the following message:

“On Kweli's new album 'Gutter Rainbows' he's got a track called 'Friends & Family" where he says, ‘First record was with Mood back in 96, it was pretty fresh, Google that, find that shit.’ I thought it'd be pretty cool to actually do what he's talking about, track down the record, and write a mini-review on it.”

Never one to turn down some investigative journalism, I agreed to write the piece (alert the Pulitzer Committee). I did my Google search early Saturday morning and traced the lyric to Mood’s 1997 debut album, "Doom". With no luck finding earlier recording, I was left with no choice but to assume the track Kweli was making allusion to was recorded in ’96 and released officially the following year. Sure enough, the album featured five features from Talib. But which was the “first”?

I searched for interviews with Mood or Talib that would provide further insight with no luck. In accordance, I listened to and reviewed each track. The result of which is the following:

"Nuclear Hip Hop": Probably my favorite track of the bunch. The track’s spacey-production is just as retro as it is timeless. All of the MC’s put in worthwhile performances, but Kweli was a definite standout. Really enjoyed this one.


"Sacred Pt. 1": Stellar performances all around. It’s at this point that I wonder why I never listened to Mood before.


"Peddlers of Doom": Sounds likes something off Wu’s "36 Chambers". Great stuff.


"Peace Infinity": The only track on the album that really foreshadowed the artist that Kweli would become. Whereas "Nuclear Hip Hop", "Sacred", and "Peddlers of Doom" felt a bit more experimental than what I’ve come to expect of Kweli, "Peace Infinity" is extremely reminiscent of the artist’s more recent projects. It becomes obvious from his comfortable guest feature that this is the type of music Kweli was meant to make.


"Industry Lies": If I had to put some money down on which of these tracks was recorded first, I’d bet on "Industry Lies". The only track on the album featuring Kweli and production from future Reflection Eternal and Black Star collaborator Hi-Tek, the track has all the signs of a hip-hop classic. According to Wikipedia (yeah, I know that it’s not always a credible source. Fuck off), Kweli and Tek met after Mood released their debut track “Hustle on the Side,” so it wouldn’t surprise me if Hi-Tek was responsible for introducing the rapper to Mood in the first place. The track sounds like something straight off of Black Star and, personally, I couldn’t have asked for any more. This is a classic.