“It doesn't get any more underground, conscious or indie than Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, but because they got a couple of really big pop hits, actually some of the biggest pop hits that hip-hop has ever seen, people are missing that part of their story. People are not counting that blessing.”

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.