Talib Kweli
Emcee, Activist & Co-Owner of Blacksmith Music Label
Talib Kweli, known around the world for his art and activism, A famed social activist, Kweli promotes equality and awareness through his rapping and spoken word. Kweli has tried to bring “something that was less beholden to the world of hip-hop and more existing in the world in general” into his work, aware that his…
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Talib Kweli, known around the world for his art and activism, A famed social activist, Kweli promotes equality and awareness through his rapping and spoken word.
Kweli has tried to bring “something that was less beholden to the world of hip-hop and more existing in the world in general” into his work, aware that his “music has been associated with … positivity, spirituality, intelligence and being thought-provoking.”
Amidst recent and longstanding suffering, oppression and injustice acted upon people of every race, creed and nationality across this nation and the globe, Kweli’s words will serve as an inspiration harking back to Martin Luther King, Jr. as a voice of awareness and motivation for change.
His powerful lyrics and clever rhymes have the power to electrify and impress. As expressions on vices of societal conventions, Kweli’s work emphasizes self-empowerment and discovery in being willing to contest the world’s preconceived notions. In “Hell” and “Lonely People,” written as both songs and spoken verse, Kweli highlights the conflict that “religion creates division, makes the Muslim hate the Christian/makes the Christian hate the Jew.” The world is “living in mass confusion, looking for absolution … based on [the world’s] interpretation of what the words were saying, trying to get to God but ended up doing the work of Satan.” These words resonate deeply in light of current events, such as the conflicts in the Middle East, police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter, #Paris, Beirut, school shootings and bomb threats. If ever we needed the inspiration from Dr. King, it is now.
“Lonely people all through the city, blank stares like nobody care/in a room so exclusive nobody there.” As Kweli’s words express, the world does not have to be a lonely place. The violence and inequality in the world can be defeated if we listen to the teachings of our legends and our own morals.
Kweli is an artist who inspires mental growth and stretching of the soul in ways to which college students, in particular, can relate.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Hip-Hop as a Tool for Social Activism
The Beautiful Struggle: A Dialogue with Talib Kweli
The Middle Ground Between Spirituality and Atheism
The Art of the Emcee
Videos
Talib Kweli on Why Hip Hop Isn't Talent Based Now
Talib Kweli - Def Poetry Jam
Talib Kweli
Books
News
Testimonials
We wanted to thank you very much for all of your help the past couple months. Last night was great. I still can’t believe it happened. I was an amazing experience for myself and the school. About 400 students and faculty were there.
College of the Holy Cross
Everything went really well! Talib was great on the panel.
California University of Pennsylvania
The event was amazing. We got a huge crowd, between 1,000 and 1,200, which is one of the biggest events we have ever done. All the panelists were great, especially Talib. The crowd was very excited when he came on stage. The Dean of Students was very happy with the event and all the students were very impressed.
Boston University
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