What is Talib Kweli Net Worth?

Talib Kweli net worth is US$ 8 Million as of Jan 2023.

Net WorthUS$ 8 Million
BornOctober 3, 1975 (48 Years)
GenderMale
Height5’ 6”
HoroscopeLibra
Country of originBrooklyn, New York, U.S.
Source of wealthMusic Rap
Marital statusMarried
SpouseDJ Eque (m. 2009)
Famous forknown for ‘Superbad’ (2007), ‘Freedom Writers’ (2007), and ‘Stick It’ (2006).

Biography

Talib Kweli is a rapper, entrepreneur, and activist with a net worth of US$ 8 million. Early on, he gained recognition as part of the hip-hop duo Black Star alongside fellow rapper Mos Def. He went on to have a successful solo career, collaborating with artists like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, and Just Blaze. Aside from his music career, Kweli is known for his activism and advocacy work. He has supported various social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Kweli also co-founded the activist group “The People’s Army,” which promotes social and political change through grassroots organizing.

Timeline

1997

Kweli made his debut in 1997, with featured five appearances on Doom.

1998

He reconnected with Mos Def and formed Black Star.

2001

Kweli and Mos Def contributed to the Red Hot + Indigo compilation album the Red Hot Organization created.

2002

Kweli released his first solo album, Quality, featuring production from various producers, including DJ Quik and Kanye West.

2004

Kweli featured on Kanye West’s “Get ‘Em High” from West’s debut album, The College Dropout.

2005

Kweli released a mixtape CD with his newly formed Blacksmith Records called Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD.

2006

Kweli signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records for Blacksmith Records.

2007

Kweli released his third solo album, Eardrum.

2008

Kweli’s Blacksmith Records split with Warner Bros. Records.

2009

Kweli recorded a mixtape entitled Party Robot with singer Res and musician Graph Nobel under the group alias Idle Warship.

2010

Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek released a second Reflection Eternal album, Revolutions Per Minute.

2011

Kweli founded Javotti Media, an independent label.

2015

Kweli released another free album entitled Fuck The Money featuring guest appearances from Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Miguel, Styles P, and others.

2016

Kweli released a compilation mixtape to promote Javotti Media’s developing artists, Awful People Are Great at Parties.

2017

Kweli released The Seven, a joint effort with Styles P of The Lox in April and his eighth solo album, Radio Silence in November.

2019

Talib Kweli launched a weekly podcast called The People’s Party with co-host Jasmin Leigh.

2020

Talib teamed up with former collaborator Yasiin Bey and longtime friend Dave Chappelle to work on Talib’s second podcast venture, The Midnight Miracle.

Early Life

Kweli was raised in Brooklyn’s Park Slope after being born in Brooklyn, New York City, on October 3rd, 1975. His mother, Brenda Greene, taught English at the University College of New York’s Medgar Evers College, while his father worked as an executive at Adelphi University. Jamal Greene, his younger brother, is a Harvard Universities and Yale Law School alumnus, a constitution teacher at Columbia Law School, and a former Supreme Court assistant for Justice John Paul Stevens.

Kweli attended Brooklyn Technological High School in his early years before enrolling in Connecticut’s Cheshire Academy. He pursued an advanced degree in experimental theatre at the University of New York. Kweli made his musical debut in 1997 in the Mood album “Doom,” where he had many cameo appearances. Additionally, he collaborated on unreleased tracks such as Reflection Eternal with singer and producer Hi-Tek. Early tracks by the group included “Fortified Live” and “B-Boy Report 99/Chaos.”

Career

Talib Kweli Greene is considered one of the most well-known rappers in underground hip-hop. Kweli became famous due to his partnership with renowned MC Mos Def on the song Black Star. Quality, his first solo album, was published in 2002. Since then, he has also released ‘The Beautiful Struggle’ (2004), ‘Right About Now’ (2005), ‘Eardrum’ (2007), ‘Gutter Rainbows’ (2011), and ‘Prisoner of Conscious’ (2013).

Additionally, he collaborated with Madlib on an album in 2007 and recorded two albums together. He made a mixtape with Res and Graph Nobel under the group commonly known as Idle Warship. He also recorded a few albums with Hi-Tek under Reflection Eternal. In his early years, he was inspired by Afrocentric rappers like De La Souls as well as other musicians of the Native Mouths Posse.

In 1995, he started working with composer Hi-Tek with rapper Mos Def, whom he met in Central Park and subsequently met while they were both students at New York University. Yassin Bey & Talib Kweli formed the Black Star in 1996, their collaboration on which they were known as “Black Star,” brought Kweli considerable notoriety (1998). Also noteworthy are Kweli and Mos’ primary contributions to the compilation album Soundbombing by Rawkus Records (1997).

Collaborations with Kweli and DJ Hi Tek under the name Reflection Eternal are also included in Soundbombing. In 2000, they collaborated on the album Train of Thought, which did better in the charts than other alternative hip-hop releases.

Since 2002, he has published the critically praised solo debut, Quality. His next solo record, The Beautiful Struggle, was released in 2004. On August 21st, 2007, his third solo album, Ear Drum, was available. With the speculations that underground legend MF Doom will be the next artist signed by Kweli’s record company, Blacksmith Records, Kweli just signed famed female rapper Jean Grae. He obtained a contract with Warner Music Group after leaving Geffen Records.

Due to several appearances on the comedy program Chappelle’s Show, solo and with long-time collaborator Mos Def, he has since made a little more of a splash in the mainstream. The credit goes to the friendship between both the rapper and the show’s host and creator, comedian Dave Chappelle. Additionally, he had a cameo appearance in the song “Get ‘Em High” from his buddy and long-time collaborator Kanye West’s hugely popular first album, The College Dropout. Some of Kweli’s tracks, notably his biggest hit single, “Get By,” were also produced by West.

Kweli can also be seen rapping about the league’s basketball players in an advertisement again for NCAA’s Big Ten Conference. In 2006, Talib provided the voice-over of a protagonist in a videogame, Marc Ecko’s Getting up: Contents under Pressure.

Talib Kweli’s Net Worth Growth

Net Worth in 2023US$ 8.0 Million
Net Worth in 2022US$ 7.5 Million
Net Worth in 2021US$ 7.0 Million
Net Worth in 2020US$ 6.5 Million
Net Worth in 2019US$ 6.0 Million
Net Worth in 2018US$ 5.5 Million

Highlights

  • Rawkus Records collaborative projects (1998–2000)
  • Hip Hop for Respect (2000)
  • Red Hot Organization (2001)
  • Rawkus Records solo albums (2001–2006)
  • Blacksmith Records (2005–2009)
  • Javotti Media (2010–present)
  • Favorite Rap and Hip-Hop Albums (2014,2015,2017)

Favorite Quotes from Talib Kweli

Favorite Quote 1 from Talib Kweli

“Many of these people, these program directors, just like anybody else, even though they’re supposed to be leaders, they’re followers. They follow what they think someone else is doing instead of trying to blaze a trail.”

-Talib Kweli
Favorite Quote 2 from Talib Kweli

“Nobody makes music not to be heard, and the easiest way to be heard is to be on the radio, but you should never compromise who you are, your values, or your morals.”

-Talib Kweli
Favorite Quote 3 from Talib Kweli

“Even an independent label is looking for a hit; they’re not looking for a record that’s not going to do well.”

-Talib Kweli
Favorite Quote 4 from Talib Kweli

“I wanted to showcase lyrical skills and continue to drop knowledge on the hip-hop community. I’m looking to elevate through my music, and through my music, I educate.”

-Talib Kweli
Favorite Quote 5 from Talib Kweli

“I started rapping because I wanted people to hear what I had to say, I wanted as many people to listen to me as possible, and I did everything in my power to make that pop.”

-Talib Kweli

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money does Talib Kweli have?

Talib Kweli’s net worth is estimated at US$ 8 Million as of Jan 2023.

When was Talib Kweli born?

Talib Kweli was born on October 3rd, 1975.

What label is Talib Kweli signed to?

Talib Kweli is signed to Rawkus Records, Duck Down Music Inc., Javotti Media, Blacksmith Records, Capitol Records, EMI, etc.

Summary

Talib Kweli is a musician who has adjusted to the industry’s seismic changes and retains a high profile in the genre. Kweli, a pioneer of hip-hop who grew up on a diet of classic as well as Golden Age rap, achieved early mainstream success, primarily through his partnerships with Mos Def, before establishing an impactful solo career that included timeless songs like “Get By” (a Kanye West collaboration), “Definition,” a piece he cut with Mos Def as Black Star, as well as his classic solo album, Performance (Rawkus, 2002). His career is a brilliantly variegated monument to the range and depth of Kweli’s creativity.

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