Talib Kweli

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Go to Google and type in “Talib Kweli” and “underappreciated” and see what you get. Over 700,000 results. While debates over whether an artist has received their due are great fodder for message boards and nerd-lists, it distracts from the work itself. Kweli has been churning out fairly consistent records for over a decade. His ninth and latest, Gutter Rainbows, is built on Kweli’s quick, punctuated flow and learned, consciousness-raising rhymes. Though he once flirted with the mainstream, Gutter Rainbows finds Kweli going truly indie—it was produced and channeled completely outside of the commercial recording industry, a hardcore move that still landed him a #1 slot on iTunes and a #29 spot on Billboard. That said, I wouldn’t cry too hard for Kweli—he’s not Jay-Z or 50 Cent and that’s OK with him. With Grynch. BRIAN J. BARR
Wed., March 30, 8 p.m., 2011