Kweli started rapping in the underground scene in 1995 and began recording underground tracks with DJ Hi-Tek in 1997. In the following year he hooked up with Mos Def to form the rap-duo "Black Star". The duo made some noise with their one and only album to date, "Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star". The album was released in 1998 and featured the hit rap single, "Definition", which reached #3 on the Rap charts.

The album was critically praised for bringing back social issues and politics back into the genre, during a time when hardcore rap reigned supreme. Kweli then released a collabo with Hi-Tek entitled "Reflection Eternal" which tackled and addressed issues within the African American community. The album was well-received and charted in the top 20 of the Billboard 200.

More recently, Talib Kweli released his fourth album, "Gutter Rainbows", in January, 2011. Talib Kweli concert dates have been announced and the rapper will be on tour throughout May, 2011. He pioneered socially conscious rap and combined issues with lyrics to bring relevancy to the genre.