“Artists look at the environment, and the best artists correctly diagnose the problem. I'm not saying artists can't be leaders, but that's not the job of art, to lead. Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte - there are artists all through history who have become leaders, but that was already in them, nothing to do with their art.”

American rapper

Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper, known for his work as one half of the hip-hop duo Black Star. He formed the group in 1997 with fellow Brooklyn rapper Yasiin Bey. Black Star’s 1998 single “Definition” reached the Billboard Hot 100 and led to the duo’s self-titled debut album later that year, which entered the Billboard 200. Kweli and Bey then pursued solo careers, though they later released one more Black Star album, No Fear of Time, in 2022.