On the first track of Indie 500, a song inspired by Pete Seeger's civil rights anthem "Which Side Are You On", Talib Kweli raps, "Celebrities be making money off the powerless/ Their silence in the silent in the face of injustice is just cowardice." He distances himself from the celebrity straw man, but he could easily be viewed as one of them. He's a public figure who visits eateries on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations", debates politics with Bill Maher, and engages in public arguments like the one he had with CNN's Don Lemon. He's recorded hit albums like Eardrum, which peaked at No. 2 in 2007. And his 2002 song "Get By" is one of the best rap songs of the millennium, a perfect distillation of his working-class striver's aesthetic. Perhaps Kweli affects modesty to emphasize his commitment to the community, and to the political and social issues that affect us. But let's face it: He's not exactly an unknown Prisoner of Conscious.
Kweli's collaboration with 9th Wonder, Indie 500, is all about commitment, whether he's criticizing gentrification practices on "Every Ghetto" or memorializing fallen heroes Pimp C, J Dilla, and Roc Raida on "Great Day in the Morning". The album title appears to be repurposed from the Indie 5000 parties that briefly flourished in '90s New York during the Rawkus/Fondle 'Em years. Sadly, there are no appearances by Moodswingaz and the Juggaknots here. But Jessica Care Moore, whose name will ring familiar to Nuyorican Poets Café fans, and whose Black Tea: The Legend of Jessi James was released on Kweli's Javotti Media imprint, delivers a strident declaration of her self-worth on "These Waters". Another Javotti artist, the Brazilian-born rapper Niko Is, doesn't stand out as sharply, but he lands some nice lines. "Motherfuckers scared to speak out, so they tweet out," he claims on "These Waters".
Occasionally, Indie 500 loses focus. Kweli excels at the activist raps, and although his cipher with Problem and Bad Lucc on "Pay Ya Dues" lacks competitive tension, it's a nice display of the trio's lyrical skills. His humble-brags on "Lo Fi" about how "Promoters will walk me right to a table and be, like, this is your spread," however, seem perfunctory. He doesn't come off as insincere, but it's not his lane.
Indie 500 is intended as a statement of self-determination from two artists with superior track records. But its execution feels rushed. The track sequencing could be better. Kweli appears on all but three Indie 500 tracks, and overall, the compilation doesn't sound like a concise effort. The production, handled by members of 9th Wonder's Soul Council, often relies on conventional drum arrangements and loop-chopping techniques. There's considerable prowess, however, to be found in Khrysis' contributions. "Technicolor Easels", which is a Niko Is solo showcase, is bathed in synthesizer ice. "Understand", where Kweli raps alongside Brother Ali and Planet Asia, has an easygoing piano stride.
In spite of its flaws, Indie 500 features two can't-miss moments. "Bangers" opens with a brief lecture from 9th Wonder, who notes how golden age rap spurred youth to enroll at black colleges, and dryly notes, "In 1988 to 1993, black college enrollment went up 46 percent." MK Asante captures the vibe nicely when he says, "Live from the flames of Baltimore."
Then there's Rapsody, who is part of 9th Wonder's Jamla imprint and appears on three tracks here. In the past, she struggled to get noticed for albums like The Idea of Beautiful and She Got Game, at least until a feature on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly brought her some long overdue attention. On "Life Ahead of Me", she candidly addresses sexism in the rap industry: "If I had a penis your penis would be hard as a brick is/ Saying I'm a king on some rap shit/ But my gender got 'em tender/ I recognize y'all lies." Rapsody argues that if she were a man, she'd be widely regarded as one of the most talented rappers today, and she might be right.
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