photo by steed media service

Over the years, fans have come to know rapper Talib Kweli for his thought-provoking rhymes and sociopolitical messages. However, even though he knew there was more to him than just “conscious” music, he found that music fans could be unforgiving when their favorite artist strays from their original style. To help satisfy his artistic cravings and keep Talib Kweli fans happy at the same time, the Brooklyn-bred MC got creative.

Kweli teamed up with singer Res to form the group Idle Warship. The outfit provided him with the creative outlet he craved to explore other sounds. “Sometimes the music is club music, it’s dance music [and] sometimes it’s just debauchery,” he says of the duo’s music. “Sometimes it’s just plain fun, which I can’t do as Talib Kweli.”

Although he launched his own label venture, Blacksmith Records, which has artists such as Jean Grae and Strong Arm Steady on its roster, Kweli says he is in no rush to ink Idle Warship to a label deal. “Because we’re not signed, there’s no limitation to what we can do,” he says.

Even without major label support, Idle Warship has quickly amassed a following, thanks to social networking sites like MySpace, where the group often deposits their new music. “It’s good because we don’t have to wait for a deal to put new music out. We can put those songs on our MySpace page for the fans,” he says. -ivory m. jones

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