Talib Kweli

A Brooklyn native, Talib Kweli Greene is the eldest of two sons born to parents who were both educators. Considering that the Arabic translation of Talib Kweli means "student of truth," it's obvious that his cerebral and socially relevant approach to MCing was destined from Day One. As a kid, Kweli was an avid reader and gifted writer. In elementary school, he began writing plays, poetry and short stories, however, he had his eyes set on becoming a baseball player. "I wasn't really one of the cool kids," Kweli recalls. "Hip-hop became a way for me to write and be cool; it gave me a language to speak to my peers," he continues. "In junior high, I started writing rhymes for my friends, and then I eventually began writing rhymes for myself."