(Koch Music/Shogun)

With a name meaning ‘student of truth’, Talib Kweli has had big shoes to fill from the start. So when Kweli hurtled into the scene in ‘97 it seemed that hip-hop critics acknowledged that he was successfully living up to his name, dubbing him as a ‘conscious rapper’. Yet the tag works both ways.

Having been pigeonholed as a politically and socially-minded hip hop artist, Kweli has predominantly been marketed towards a niche audience, making it harder for his message to reach a larger group of mainstream listeners. However on the flipside, at times Kweli has also been criticised by hardcore fans for not being conscious enough. And so Right About Now, a mixtape of Kweli’s unreleased tracks over the past couple of years, signals Kweli’s refusal to dance to the tune of anyone but himself. In his own words, “At this stage I just do me. This is me right about now.”

Tagged as “The Official Sucka Free Mix CD”, the quality of tracks is what we’ve come to expect of Kweli over the past few years. With forceful, well enunciated flow (one exception being “Who Got It” with one line easily mistaken for “Do you like the way, you jam donut?”) launched over the top of some beefy beats, the result from Kweli is solid. The connection between Kweli and high school buddy Mos Def will always be strong with or without a mic, and Black Star is evidence of the chemistry between the two. Thus the track “Supreme Supreme” is a definite highlight – from the opening chords to the interweaving of the vocals to the hook – everything is hot.

With some guest spots from artists such as Jean Grae and MF Doom, Right About Now has a good selection of tracks to complement the previously released Talib Kweli catalogue. Hard, but not too hard, serious without being grave, Kweli manages to reveal his version of the truth whilst at the same time continuing on his search for it.