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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 Stars - A solid effort and a good album., April 11, 2005
Talib Kweli is an artist who cannot escape his past. Much like Nas, he made the "mistake" of having his earliest works attain almost classic status (Black Star and Reflection Eternal). These gems have raised expectations to the point that excellence is expected from his devoted fan base. The first few times I listened to this album, I was not impressed. It was only after giving it a couple months when expectations had died down that I was able to appreciate BS, and felt moved to write this review. Having gotten his strongest mainstream endorsement to date on Jay-Z's Black Album, Kweli attempts to toe the line between the underground that got him there and the mainstream appeal he apparently craves. The results are a mixed bag, which seemed not to satisfy either camp.
As a huge fan of Kweli's earlier work, I feel that the mainstream attempts were more unsuccessful. The worst of these was the Mary J. Blige-assisted I Try, a blatant Get By rip-off. The song seems so formulaic and forced, as opposed to its predecessor's beautiful optimism. An additional disappointment comes unlikely enough from the Hi-Tek/Kweli Back Up Offa Me. With the chorus constantly repeating this phrase, the whole song seems somewhat mundane.
The disappointments are clearly outnumbered by the Beautiful Struggle's good-to-great tracks. On the Neptunes-produced "Broken Glass," Kweli flexes his storytelling muscles, spinning an enthralling tale of a girl's selling of herself. Black Girl Pain is a beautiful, moving tribute from Kweli to his daughter (with a stellar appearance from Jean Grae). Common and Anthony Hamilton lend their voices in Ghetto Show, and John Legend does the same in Around My Way. Both these songs are solid, if unspectacular. Just Blaze continues his quest to become 2005's best producer with Never Been In Love (the current, Andre 3000-esqe video). When the album concludes with the title track, it feels like Kweli and Hi Tek have recaptured their magic, and are both on top of their games. Kweli's wordplay vacillates throughout the album, but is at his best when introspective and observational rather than trying to make people dance or braggadocios.
Overall, this album works best when you go into it with no expectations. I can honestly say that it will probably be appreciated more after time passes: not because it is groundbreaking or revolutionary, but because it is just not as bad as its detractors (spurned Black Star fans) say.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle, February 9, 2005
After releasing his first solo album in 2002, Talib Kweli returns with his follow "The Beautiful Struggle" in fall 2004.
1. Going Hard - Good beat, Talib rips up the verses, great hook - 5/5
2. Back Up Offa Me - Not really feeling the beat, Talib comes nice, hook is alright - 3.5/5
3. Broken Glass - Nice beat, Talibs flows are on point, good hook - 4.5/5
4. We Know (Featuring Faith Evans) - Beat sucks, Talib doesn't disappoint, Faiths hook is great - 4/5
5. A Game - Alright beat, Talib comes good, hook is good as well - 4/5
6. I Try (Featuring Mary J. Blige) - First single off the album, good beat, Talib comes correct like usual, Mary comes nice on the hook - 5/5
7. Around My Way (Featuring John Legend) - Good beat, Talibs lryics and flows are on fire, John Legend comes with one of the best hooks of the year....one of the best tracks off the album - 5/5
8. We Got the Beat (Featuring Res) - Great beat, Talib is on fire once again, Res comes great on the hook...this song really gets you pumped up for a fight or competetion - 5/5
9. Work It Out - Not feeling the beat, Talib comes alright, hook isn't good - 3/5
10. Ghetto Show (Featuring Common & Anthony Hamiliton) - Good beat, Talib and Common come with one of the best collaborations of the year, hook is good - 5/5
11. Black Girl Pain (Featuring Jean Grae) - Good beat, Talib and Jean both come nice, hook is good - 5/5
12. Never Been In Love - Good beat, Talib comes nice, hook is good - 4/5
13. Beautiful Struggle - Wack beat, Talib doesn't disappoint on the final track, but the hook is a let down - 3.5/5
Overall: 56.5/65
4.5 Stars
Almost all of Talibs verses are solid but some of the beats and hooks are lacking. All he needs to do is improve both of those two parts and keep his lyrics how they are and his next album will be classic.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A solid album from Talib Kweli with some good songs, October 16, 2004
"The Beautiful Struggle" is a solid hip hop album with lyrics that will make you think and overall good production.
The opening track "Going Hard" has a Rocky I'm the champ kind of vibe. "Going Hard" is followed up by the mellow "Back Up Offa Me." "Broken Glass" is another awesome song which was produced by The Neptunes. Track 4, "We Know" features R&B songstress Faith Evans. She isn't the only R&B diva to make an appearance on Talib's album, Mary J. Blije is featured on the radio single "I Try." This seems like one of the most radio friendly songs on the 12 track album and this track was produced by Kanye West.
New R&B singer, John Legend is featured on the soulful track "Around My Way." This is another song that has a potential radio single feel. Rock star chick Res is featured on the song "We Got The Beat." No, it's not a remake of that 1980's hit song by the Go Go's, but this is an awesome song. It's something different and proves once again that Talib isn't afraid to take risks musically."Ghetto Show," features Common and Anthony Hamilton. "Never Been In Love" is another potential radio hit.
The Beautiful Struggle is a hip-hop album that will satisfy the person that is looking for a quality hip-hop album. Talib did great on his sophomore album. The album also includes production by Just Blaze, Supa Dave West, Dirty Swift, and Hi Tek.
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