TALIB KWELI Announces Prisoner of Conscious Out April 23*New Video & Tour!

Wed Jan 30 11:11:42 CST 2013

Talib Kweli
New Album Prisoner of Conscious
 Out April 23rd via Javotti Media/Capitol/EMI

New Video for Single "Upper Echelon" Premieres on MTV

North American Tour Begins February 8th

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(Photo Credit: Anna Sian)

Hip-hop luminary Talib Kweli will release his 5th solo studio album Prisoner of Conscious on April 23, 2013 via Javotti Media/Capitol/EMI. The album, four years in the making, boasts a slew of guest features from Busta Rhymes, Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar, Melanie Fiona, Marsha Ambrosius, Miguel, Nelly, Ryan Leslie, Seu Jorge and more. PRESS HERE<http://www.mtv.com/videos/talib-kweli/873518/upper-echelon.jhtml#id=1568964> to check out the brand new video for new single "Upper Echelon" which recently premiered across MTV platforms. Two other videos have already been released: PRESS HERE<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4S2avleyeM> to watch "Push Thru" ft. Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar and Glen "Grey" Reynolds and PRESS HERE<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eHPfEMjLt0> to see the video for the album's bonus track "Outstanding" ft. Ryan Leslie.

Additionally, Kweli will embark on a North American tour kicking off February 8th including performances at SXSW in Austin and The Music of Prince tribute concert at Carnegie Hall on March 7th in NYC, which will raise money for arts education programs. The full list of tour dates is below.

Talib Kweli, nearly 20 years into his prolific career, stands as one of the most gifted lyricists, acclaimed rappers and in-demand performers in music today. His latest effort, Prisoner of Conscious, ushers in a new artistic chapter for Kweli - one that embodies his exceptional musicality and robust creative vision while aiming to give everyone something to relate to.

The dynamic collection of songs, colored with live instrumentation, was born from Kweli's desire to expand past his reputation for making heavy socio-political statements into more of a personal realm. Prisoner of Conscious, an uplifting album that savvily explores universal life experiences that we all share, slowly came to life over the course of four years. Kweli steadily worked on the songs while continuing to put out music at his typical breakneck speed, which included releasing his solo album Gutter Rainbows, performing Black Star shows with Mos Def, teaming up with DJ Hi-Tek for their Reflection Eternal album Revolution Per Minute and flexing his genre-bending abilities with Idle Warship and Habits of the Heart, a collaboration with Res. Finished off with production work from J Cole, RZA, Symbolic One (Kanye West) and Sean C and LV (Jay-Z) and an impressive list of guest features, Prisoner of Conscious is finally ready to be unveiled.

"Come Here" ft. Miguel brings in a Marvin Gaye-esque vibe while the dramatic, piano-driven "Before He Walked" showcases passionate vocals from singer Abby Dobson and includes a verse from Nelly. The driving "Ready Set Go" with singer Melanie Fiona features Kweli's ever-impressive clever verbal gymnastics.  From the stark Busta Rhymes-guested and RZA-produced "Rocket Ships" to the breezy "Favela Love," featuring crooning from Brazilian singer and actor Seu George, Prisoner of Conscious is Kweli re-invigorated and better than ever.

In other news, Talib Kweli is participating in the new "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign," a student-conceived interactive video experience to combat human trafficking that was unveiled today on mtvu, MTV's 24-hour college network. "The Backstory" sheds light on the realities of human trafficking through powerful stories illustrated by a series of interactive videos that feature text read by Kweli, dancers from Ailey II and music scored by Kenna. For more information, please visit http://TheBackstory.MTV.com, mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org<http://www.againstourwill.org/> or mtvU.com<http://www.mtvu.com/>.

Upcoming Talib Kweli U.S. Live Dates:
Feb 8th                  Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
Feb 9th                  Detroit, MI @ 2nd Annual Dilla Day Tribute Concert at The Fillmore
Feb 17th                Las Vegas, NV @ Bank Nightclub at The Bellagio
Feb 22nd               Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
Feb 23rd                Denver, CO @ The Summit
Feb 24th                Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
Feb 26th                            Boston, MA @ The Middle East
Feb 27th                Providence, RI @ Fete
Feb 28th                            Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
March 1st             Chicago, IL @ The Shrine
March 16th           Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 7th             New York, NY @ The Music of Prince - Carnegie Hall
March 17th           Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
March 18th           Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
March 29th           Montreal, Canada @ Club Soda
March 30th           San Bernardino, CA @ Paid Dues Festival
March 31st           Vancouver, Canada @ Bar None
April 1st                 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
April 2nd                Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
April 3rd                Arcata, CA @ Arcata Theater
April 4th                 San Francisco, CA @ Club DNA
April 5th                 Los Angeles, CA @ The Key Club
April 6th                 Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
April 7th                 Santa Ana, CA @ Yost Theater
April 13th              Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Prisoner of Conscious Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Human Mic
3. Turnt Up
4. Come Here ft. Miguel
5. High Life ft. Rubix and Bajah
6. Ready Set Go ft. Melanie Fiona
7. Hold It Now
8.  The Color of You
9.  Push Thru ft. Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar and Glen "Grey" Reynolds
10. Hamster Wheel
11. Delicate Flowers
12. Rocket Ships ft. Busta Rhymes
13. Before He Walked ft. Nelly and Abby Dobson
14. Upper Echelon
15. Favela Love ft. Seu Jorge
16. Only Gets Better ft. Marsha Ambrosius
17. Outstanding ft. Ryan Leslie (bonus track)

www.talibkweli.com<http://www.talibkweli.com> / www.facebook.com/talibkweli<http://www.facebook.com/talibkweli> / @TalibKweli

For more information on Talib Kweli, please contact:
Press Here
Carla Senft
212-246-2640
carla at pressherepublicity.com<mailto:carla at pressherepublicity.com>

Carla Senft
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