Quality (Talib Kweli Album)

''Quality'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. ''Kludge'' magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.

Background

In 1998 Talib Kweli and Mos Def as duo Black Star released critically acclaimed album ''Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star''. The duo planned to release their second album, but Mos Def was busy working on film ''The Italian Job''. Meanwhile, Kweli decided to work on other projects. As part of Reflection Eternal duo with Hi-Tek he released ''Train of Thought'' in 2000. Then, following the success of his previous albums, Kweli decided to release his debut solo album.

The album was called ''Quality''. In 2002 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' rapper explained the album's name:

According to ''Billboard'', the album's title is also a pun on Kweli's similarly pronounced surname.

Release and promotion

''Quality'' was released on November 19, 2002 (November 25 in the UK), by Rawkus Records. Despite Kweli still being considered an underground artist, the album was commercially successful. It peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Three singles were released from the album; "Good to You"/"Put It in the Air", "Waitin' For The DJ"/"Guerilla Monsoon Rap" and "Get By". Despite positive reception, the first two singles failed to make any impact on mainstream charts, so the label decided to not release the third single, considering the song and its content not commercially viable. In response to this, Kweli and his manager made several copies of the single and sent it to a number of popular radio DJs across New York. With help from DJ Enuff, the team at Power 106, and many other local DJs, the single gained popularity through local airplay, and was eventually released by Rawkus. "Get By" received radio airplay in early 2003 and charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at number 77, becoming Kweli's biggest solo hit. A music video for the song was later released and an official remix was recorded. The remix, featuring Kanye West, Mos Def, Jay Z, and Busta Rhymes, was aired for a short time on New York hip-hop radio, but did not receive an official release.

After the release of ''Quality'', Kweli embarked on a tour in support of the album, where he was accompanied by friend and producer Kanye West as an opening act. At the time, West was considered a talented producer, but executives at West's label, Roc-A-Fella, did not feel he had potential as a solo rapper. Kweli allowed West to perform on stage with him during his concerts, giving West his first stage exposure to large crowds. West later expressed his gratitude to Kweli, saying that he owed a part of his early success to these performances.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Notes
* signifies a co-producer

Sample credits
* "Get By" contains elements from " Sinnerman", written and performed by Nina Simone.
* "Shock Body" contains elements from "Diana in the Autumn Wind", written by Roger Karshner and Chuck Mangione, performed by Chuck Mangione.
* "Joy" contains elements from "I Get High", written by Curtis Mayfield, performed by Aretha Franklin.
* "Talk to You (Lil' Darlin')" contains replayed elements from "Can I", written by Hal Davis and Herman Griffith, performed by Eddie Kendricks.
* "Guerrilla Monsoon Rap" contains elements from "I Never Had It So Good", written by Eugene Record and Stan McKenny, performed by The Chi-Lites.
* "Good to You" contains elements from "Simply Beautiful", written and performed by Al Green.
* "Won't You Stay" contains replayed elements from "Devil's Triangle", written by Wilbur Bascomb

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