In this episode, Talib Kweli tells the story about how he got into music because he was a product of his environment, equal parts product of his parents and a product of his city. When he became a teenager, Hip-Hop sort of took over because he wanted to do something cool.

He tells us that he comes from a family and a home that was very focused on education. They went to a lot of museum trips and had a lot of books in their house. He also tells us that he incorporated a lot of these into his rap style.

Quote: “Be Heard is just sort of the diving board or the catalyst for a lot of other things, you know. Once you’re heard you can be felt, you know. Once you’re felt you can be loved, You know. You’ve got to be heard first. People got to be open and their ears and their hearts have to be open to let you in first.” ~ Talib Kweli

Talib also tells us that we live in an era where you can’t just work for someone else. He says have to own your thing.

Watch him end the session with an “off the dome” freestyle.