Talib Kweli Launches Online Radio Station

Talib Kweli is throwing his hat in the digital radio ring. Perhaps taking a page from Eminem, who has his own Shade 45 radio station on Sirius XM, the New York rapper will partner with his label Javotti Media to launch his own curated radio station on Radionomy, a user-generated streaming radio platform that specializes in music, news and commentary. Kweli's station, which is currently available for free on the site, will seek to blend all three while retaining his distinct worldview.

The station itself will of course feature tracks from Kweli's extensive discography, but it's not limited to hip-hop. In addition to showcasing artists on his Javotti Media label, it will also play music from artists that have inspired Kweli, from classic acts like Prince and Roy Ayers to contemporary performers like Kendrick Lamar and Toro Y Moi. While the station appears to be primarily focussed on music now, it will also provide Kweli a platform on which to connect with fans.

“We offer the ability to create and run a fully functioning radio station from any web-enabled device,” explains Thierry Azcarez, the US Manager of Radionomy, in a press release. “This gives artists like Kweli a perfect platform to communicate with their audiences without having to deal with the business or technology hassles of radio.”

This isn't the only recent example of Kweli testing out new music distribution channels. Earlier this month, the Prisoner Of Consciousness rapper announced that he'd be releasing a new album, titled Gravitas, on December 15 via his own website.