Talib Kweli Drops Surprise Album Filled with B-Sides and Rare Tracks

By Sameer Rao Jul 08, 2015

Although the surprise album release thing isn’t really new, it’s still exciting when an influential artist releases something unexpected. Acclaimed rapper and activist Talib Kweli galvanized the desires of hip-hop-heads and crate-diggers everywhere with the surprise release of "Train of Thought: Lost Lyrics, Rare Releases & Beautiful B-Sides Vol. 1." Featuring collaborations with Killer Mike and Kanye West and production from West, Hi-Tek and many others, the album is Kweli’s first since 2013’s "Gravitas." 

 

The album also notably includes an unreleased BlackStar song,  "Bright As The Stars." Coming from someone who has written extensively about music industry economics (and how those economics have hurt his ability to collaborate with big-name artists), this album is notable for including collaborations with now-ubiquitous stars like Kanye West and Common. The album is available exclusively via Kweli’s website

(H/t Okayplayer