The son of educators, Kweli (with his school buddy Mos Def) began perfecting his style in the legendary rhyming battles of Washington Square Park. The pair started releasing tracks as the brilliant Dark Star, and, later, Talib teamed with DJ Hi-Tek, also with outstanding results.

Along the way Talib became known for blending a rainbow of musical styles and analytical lyrics. The depth of his music touched a nerve among hip-hop fans, and he found himself touring with other serious artists such as The Roots, Dilated Peoples and Erykah Badu.

Kweli’s first solo project, Quality, showcases his dedication to observing and participating in the entire spectrum of life. His rhymes celebrate the birth of his children (“Joy”) and take on the often-ugly politics of being black in America (“The Proud,” “Where Do We Go”), doing it all with style and a rare subtlety.

“ Hip-hop became a way for me to write and be cool; it gave me a language to speak to my peers,” he says. “As a resource, hip-hop has been greater than any music we have. The possibilities for what we can do in our communities, for people’s self-esteem or their economic situation is what is so exciting. It’s beautiful that I can use this resource, sell records and still just be Talib Kweli.”]]> 2003-06-17T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233026 Eminem, Gotti, Irv, Hi-Tek, Jerkins, Rodney, Kelly, R., Rockwilder, Santana, Carlos, Williams, Pharrell, Winans, Mario, Latin, Pop, Urban, BMI Urban Awards BMI has announced the winners of its 2001 Urban Awards. The presentation, scheduled for October 3 in Miami, has been postponed. A new date will be announced.

Click here for the complete winners list
Click here for the Billboard #1 R&B/Hip Hop Songs

In addition to the song awards, BMI also named the 2000-2001 Top Producers Awards and Billboard, the music trade magazine, announced the names of the top BMI-affiliated writers on the R&B/Hip Hop charts.

“Maria Maria,” co-written by Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis and Carlos Santana, and recorded by Santana featuring the Product G&B, was named Song of the Year. The hit song was included on Santana’s multiple-platinum, multiple-Grammy award winning CD, Supernatural, and is published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Stellabella Music and Te Bass Music, Inc.

Producer/songwriter Pharrell Williams was named Songwriter of the Year with three songs on the most performed list including “Got Your Money” (co-written by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and recorded by ODB with Kelis), “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” (co-written by Deric Angelettie, Jay-Z, Todd “Too Short” Shaw and Kit Walker, and recorded by Jay-Z), and “Shake Ya Ass” (recorded by Mystikal).

Other multiple award-winning songwriters included Duplessis, Jay-Z, Fred Jerkins and Rodney Jerkins with two awards each.

EMI Music Publishing was named Urban Publisher of the Year with the largest percentage of ownership in award-winning songs. EMI was also named Publisher of the Year at the 2001 BMI Pop Awards, bringing to eight the total number of top Publisher honors awarded to EMI since 1989.

Pharrell Williams was also named one of the Top BMI-affiliated Producers along with Duplessis, Eminem, Mannie Fresh, Irv Gotti, Hi-Tek, R. Kelly, Poke, Rockwilder and Mario Winans.

Billboard chose the occasion of the Urban Awards to honor the BMI writers of the songs that topped the R&B/Hip-Hop charts during the past year. R. Kelly was a multiple winner with “Fiesta” (recorded by Kelly featuring Jay-Z) and “I Wish” (written and recorded by Kelly), as was Williams with “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” and “Danger (Been So Long)” (recorded by Mystikal featuring Nivea).

BMI annually honors the songwriters and music publishers of the most performed songs on American radio in the pop, country, Latin and urban music genres.

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

Eric Benet

Macy Gray

Mariah Carey

Michael Jackson

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.