Talib Kweli Announces New Album, Reveals Cover Art & Release Date

While his May album Prisoners of Conscious is still sinking in, Talib Kweli plans to hit fans with another project before the year is out. The Brooklyn MC recently announced on his new website, kweliclub.com the album will be released on December 15. Titled Gravitas, Talib said the album will feature production from Q-Tip, OhNo, Lord Quest and Rich Kidd, among others. His last project was distributed via EMI, but according to the rapper fans will be purchasing his sixth studio album straight from him. “When you pre order my newest project, Gravitas, available Dec 15, you will be buying it directly from me, no middleman, and I will now have a direct relationship with you,” he wrote. “Who needs this industry when we have each other. The technology exists for me to have this relationship with the fans, and vice versa. It is a grand experiment. Let’s go for it!”

He later expounded on he desire to deal directly with his fans. “Imagine me being able to look up every member of my fanbase on my iPhone and actually know who they are on a personal level,” he typed. “This is the dream I've always had. To be able to actually recognize you at the meet & greet. To be able to actually know how you were feeling yesterday because I'm following you on Instagram and Twitter. That's why I've started this club.

“Most people are only worried about sales figures and sales volume,” he continued. “I am worried about you—the people whose money make my dream possible. I want to be able to say thank you, not just to a huge group of anonymous fans, but to specific ones that actually care about my career and the art that I'm sharing with the world."

Check out the cover art for the project, below.