Talib Kweli Debuts New Song on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’

By this point, the lines separating ‘mainstream’ and ‘underground’ rap have been redrawn so many times as to cease mattering altogether. The record industry is in such a state of constant flux that there’s no longer a natural push-and-pull between different camps of artists that sound a certain way, nor is it easy to determine someone’s contract status based on their taste in beats. But some acts remain, often against their will, signifiers of a time when fans were expected to choose a side. Talib Kweli has persevered for years to put out new work for his dedicated fan base, yet finds his name trudged up in debates about rap conservatism. Smartly, the veteran from Brooklyn decides time and time again to stick to the script that’s worked for him.

In a move that would seem by some to be doubling down on that reputation, Kweli last night (Oct. 5) debuted his new single, “Every Ghetto,” alongside Rapsody and The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The song will appear on Indie 500, Talib’s full-length collaboration project with 9th Wonder. The latter is the storied producer from North Carolina who earned renown in the early 2000s for his work behind the boards with Little Brother. (9th was a unique case in that way—the producer generally isn’t the first group member to become a breakout star.) The LP, which drops Nov. 6, borrows its name from Decompoze’s solo song on Binary Star’s seminal Masters of the Universe; the song and album are often cited as manifestos for underground, independent rap artists.