(AllHipHop News) Brooklyn raised rapper and one half of Black Star, Talib Kweli, has always been a rapper that supports and encourages education.
Talib grew up in a family where both of his parents were professors, so its no wonder that he has always been one of Hip-Hop’s most cerebral and outspoken rappers, when it comes to political and societal issues.
On Tuesday Talib headed back to college at St. Johns University to be a featured guest speaker.
Kweli spoke about the anthropology of Hip-Hop and its impact in a global society.
He also explained Hip-Hop’s impact on his life and encouraged universities to support more lectures like the “Hip Hop for a Cause” at St. Johns University.
“It has such an impact that it behooves educators and institutions of learning to try and incorporate discussions in Hip-Hop,” Talib told the New York Daily News
As a kid, Kweli excelled at reading and was a gifted writer.
In elementary school, he started writing plays, poetry and short stories, but it was not until high school that Kweli turned to hip-hop as an outlet for his self-expression.
St. John’s Associate Dean James Salnave said that students were adamant about seeing Kweli lecture.
“The RSVP list filled up in a matter of minutes,” he said. “That was the quickest one so far.”
Over 400 students attended Kweli’s lecture, asking questions until time ran out.
Talib recently announced the Prisoner of Conscious Tour that will feature 7 dates making stops in New York, Cleveland and Toronto and Ann Arbor, MI,
5/18 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Ballroom
5/28 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
5/30 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
5/31 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
6/1 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
6/2 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
6/3 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue