I couldn’t haven’t dreaded and been more excited for a show. When I heard Talib Kweli was going to be performing at Seattle University I was so surprised that I could barely close my mouth. I’ve been a fan of Kweli, aka the B.K.M.C., for years, and a fan of old-school hip hop for as long as I can remember. So if your wondering why I’d dread something like that, honestly, it was the venue. Not only is Quadstock notorious for underage drinking that starts promptly at noon, but I couldn’t help thinking what do these mostly privileged white private-school kids know about Kweli’s music. With the release of a second Reflections Eterna album set for this summer, DJ Hi-Tek spun a nonstop set of new and old, classic and foreign. Kweli paced the stage, systematically dropping lines in his signature razor- tongued style. It would be a fair generalization to say that for most of Kweli’s stuff you have to really listen to it to get it. Lyrics like: “Where were you the day hip-hop died?”shows that even T.K. looks back nostalgically on hip hop the way most fans do. Kweli said goodnight after 45 minutes, but was beckoned back to the stage by what was left of the audience. He no longer had to fight for the crowd’s attention, and this is when it got real. For those who cared to stay, we got a taste of Kweli at his best. Hi-Tek took over the mic to perform one of his popular singles, “My Piano.” There were several instances when Kweli either forgot lyrics or repeated verses, but he played it off just like any charmer would. At one point when Hi-Tek started a track the audience clearly didn’t know, he said, “Oh, I know y’all don’t even know what that is,” and made him move on to the next song. And for those white kids, well maybe I judged to harshly. Sure, they were grinding off the rest of their alcohol, and I heard more than a few folks say, “I’ve never heard this shit before.” But clearly having a performer of Kweli’s caliber is an accomplishment, whether they realize it or not.