(AllHipHop News) Talib Kweli has been involved in the rap game for nearly 20 years, so the Brooklyn emcee has seen and experienced a lot concerning the music industry. Kweli spoke with Montreality about several Hip Hop relevant topics including the media’s portrayal of DMX, the Macklemore vs. Kendrick Lamar Grammy debate, and Hip Hop’s obsession with secret societies.
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“I think the biggest lie, as far as the Hip Hop community’s world, is that the ruling class is some sort of cartoonish villain based organization like Cobra Command,” says Kweli. “What the ruling class is doing – on a real level to maintain power – is sinister enough you don’t have to make up no boogeyman stories about it.”
The “Violations” rapper also addresses fellow rhymer DMX. While acknowledging X’s achievements in music as inspirational, revealing he worked in the studio with the Yonkers native, and calling him “one of the lights of our community,” Kweli also expresses his belief the press took advantage of X’s troubles.
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“I definitely think DMX is somebody who has been exploited by the media,” Kweli says. “He’s clearly someone who’s had a rough life and has some pathologies and demons from when he first came out. Those things were packaged and marketed as something to be sold, but then when the fall out happens you get famous from that type of pathology.”
Kweli once again shared his views on this year’s Grammy’s awards results. Kweli states that no one should have been surprised by Macklemore’s win over Kendrick Lamar, because the Grammys are based on name recognition. He then offers suggestions to change that dynamic such as more people joining the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, making “great Hip Hop”, or purchasing more copies of artist’s albums.
“The thing I think is misdirected is when you start blaming the artist, and you start blaming Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for their success instead recognizing the blueprint that they put out there for every indie artist to be successful,” adds Kweli.
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Watch Talib Kweli’s Montreality interview below.