The Beautiful Struggle
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| The Beautiful Struggle | ||
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| Studio album by Talib Kweli | ||
| Released | September 28, 2004 | |
| Recorded | 2004 | |
| Genre | Underground hip hop | |
| Length | 53:40 | |
| Label | Rawkus/Geffen | |
| Producer(s) | Hi-Tek The Neptunes Supa Dave West Kanye West Just Blaze J.R. Midi Mafia Charlemagne Tone Mason Amadeus |
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| Talib Kweli chronology | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quality (2002) |
The Beautiful Struggle (2004) |
Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD (2005) |
The Beautiful Struggle is an album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released in 2004, and features guest appearances by rappers such as Common and Jean Grae. The Beautiful Struggle, as with all of Talib Kweli's work, focuses on the serious side of rap, providing an alternative to today's mainstream gangsta rap and pop rap.
The album featured production from Kanye West, The Neptunes, Supa Dave West, Just Blaze & Hi-Tek. The first single off the album, "I Try" featuring Mary J. Blige, was fairly popular as a music video, followed by the second single "Never Been In Love". The Beautiful Struggle was Kweli's first album in nearly 2 years.
Contents |
[edit] Origin of Album Name
The album name, "The Beautiful Struggle", originated from a quote from rapper, Mos Def. The quote was read as; "Life is beautiful, life is a struggle. Life is a beautiful struggle".
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Going Hard" | Charlemagne | Res, Talib Kweli |
| 2 | "Back Up Offa Me" | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli, Alex Thomas (background), Dion (background), Krondon (background) |
| 3 | "Broken Glass" | The Neptunes | Talib Kweli, Faith Evans (background) |
| 4 | "We Know" | Supa Dave West | Faith Evans, Talib Kweli |
| 5 | "A Game" | Amadeus | Talib Kweli |
| 6 | "I Try" | Kanye West | Mary J. Blige, Talib Kweli |
| 7 | "Around My Way" | Charlemagne | John Legend, Talib Kweli |
| 8 | "We Got The Beat" | Midi Mafia | Res, Talib Kweli |
| 9 | "Work It Out" | Hi Tek, J.R. | Talib Kweli, Tiffany Mynon (background) |
| 10 | "Ghetto Show" | Supa Dave West | Anthony Hamilton, Common, Talib Kweli |
| 11 | "Black Girl Pain" | Midi Mafia, Tone Mason | Jean Grae, Talib Kweli, Elizabeth Yummy Bingham (background), Jamia Simone Nash (background), Olivia Sharnae Nash (background), Tiffany Mynon (background) |
| 12 | "Never Been In Love" | Just Blaze | Talib Kweli, Dave Young (background) |
| 13 | "Beautiful Struggle" | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
[edit] Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
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"I Try" featuring Mary J. Blige
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"Never Been In Love"
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[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2004 | The Beautiful Struggle | #14 | #3 |
[edit] Internet Advance
Before the official release of this album in 2004, a bootlegged advance of the CD began to be circulated on the Internet in the rough stages of production. Because of this, the track listing was altered prior to release.
When the album leaked, a frustrated and angry Kweli posted a response on Okayplayer. In it, he admitted that he would also jump at the opportunity to hear an artist's CD early but condemned those who actively spread it.
[edit] Advance Track listing
- "The Revolution" (appears as "Going Hard" on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "Back Up Off Me" (appears as "Back Up Offa Me" on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "From A Place" featuring Killer Mike (appears as "Tryin' To Breathe" on The Beautiful Mixtape Vol. 2)
- "I Try" featuring Mary J. Blige (appears on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "We Got the Beat" featuring Res (appears on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "Around My Way" featuring John Legend (appears on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "What We Have is Real" (appears as "We Know" on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "Rock on and on" (appears as "Rock On" on Right About Now)
- "You Don't Know Me" (appears as "Flash Gordon" on Right About Now)
- "Its the Ghetto" featuring Common (appears as "Ghetto Show" on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "Hold Your Hands Up High" featuring Jean Grae (appears as "Black Girl Pain" on The Beautiful Struggle)
- "Lonely People" (appears on The Beautiful Mixtape Vol. 1)
- "We Pullin Out Tonite"
- "Instrumental" produced by Kanye West (an instrumental, appropriately)
- "Get Em High" featuring Kanye West (appears on Kanye West's The College Dropout)
- "Supreme" featuring Mos Def (appears as "Supreme Supreme" on Right About Now and The Beautiful Mixtape Vol. 2)
The tracks from the advance album are slightly different from those on the final release. "The Revolution" features an introduction (possibly performed by Dave Chappelle). While, "Hold Your Hands Up High" has a little girl singing the chorus.
| Talib Kweli |
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Albums and EPs: Black Star | Train of Thought | Quality | The Beautiful Struggle | Right About Now | Liberation | Ear Drum |
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Singles: "Move Somethin'" | "The Express" | "The Blast" | "Down for the Count" | "Good to You" | "Fortified Live" | "Waitin' for the DJ" | "Get By" | "Peace of Mine" | "I Try" | "Never Been in Love" | "Flash Gordon" | "Fly That Knot" | "Getting Up Anthem" | "Listen" | "More Or Less" |
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Other: Reflection Eternal | Native Tongues | Blacksmith Records | Black Star |
