On 1st November 2024, Brooklyn native Talib Kweli performed at Bristol’s Marble Factory. Most of the gig goers in the crowd appeared to be 80s/90s babies, raised on the sounds of early hip-hop, of which Talib himself was a part of.
Prior to Talib taking to the stage just after 9:00pm, he was supported by two Bristol based MCs, ZZ The Pharaoh and Blacksmith, both of whom warmed the crowd up nicely, especially Blacksmith and DJ Frenic’s set.
Talib’s setlist took the crowd on a journey across his entire discography, featuring hits from when he created a collaborative album with fellow New York rapper Mos Def, under their pseudonym “Black Star”, as well as his many collaborations with Kanye West. He even performed covers of some vintage hits such as Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” which was the first platinum song by an immigrant in the US and had featured in the motion picture _Beetlejuice_. He then went onto say that he was fond of the director Tim Burton but wished “he’d cast Black people in his films”. Talib also covered “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” by Dawn Penn and then gave the crowd an insight regarding some early Black history hits.
The American rap artist was accompanied during his show by DJ Spintelect and behind both of the performers was a large screen which, throughout the show, visually changed, from displaying music videos to showcasing images of people who collaborated on the songs when they were performed.
Some pivotal moments throughout the show include: Talib paying homage to the late rapper MF DOOM whilst performing their collaboration “Old School Rules”, the whole crowd singing along during his collab with Jaylib “Raw Shit”, when visuals of Mos Def were projected onscreen during the performance of “Definition”, Talib performing his verse on Kanye’s “Get Em High” acapella and then flawlessly turning it into one of his most known songs “Get By’”.
After this flawless mashup, Talib vacated the stage and shortly after, the crowd collectively chanted for his return which enticed DJ Spintelect and the headline act out for a further two songs: “One For Biz” and “The Blast”.
Throughout the concert, there was a lot of crowd interaction from Talib and he often displayed his activist values throughout the evening, often speaking passionately about topics he cared deeply for. He was a very wellspoken individual and, even at the age of 49, he still effortlessly performed to a packed crowd. I love that many pivotal individuals within the hip-hop community are touring in Bristol; not too long ago, Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA also graced Marble Factory’s stage and soon, later this month on November 29th, Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck are collectively performing at Central Warehouse in Bristol, another show I’m sure any hip-hop lover will wish to attend.
Dan Rose @danrose.uk
Role: Photographer
I’m primarily a photographer for both concerts and festivals, and am also available for BTS photos, portraits, promo shoots and tour photography. I also write the occasional review.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots and Touring
First attended gig: My most memorable early concert experience was seeing Eminem in 2014 at Wembley Stadium. This was a very pivotal moment in my life as it reinforced why I love music so much and reignited my passion for it.
First gig shot: The very first artist I photographed live was the DJ and producer Nathan Dawe at SWX Bristol. This was an incredibly fulfilling start to concert photography, as I was on stage with him during his set, and even hung out backstage afterwards.
Dream gig: My top 5 dream artists to one day photograph would be Eminem, J. Cole, Rod Wave, Jon Bellion, and Logic. One of my favourite artists, Juice WRLD, is sadly no longer alive, and I wish I had had the opportunity to see him perform live and photograph him.
