Talib Kweli is one of the most well-respected names in the hip-hop industry, counting top names like Jay-Z and 50 Cent as fans. He grew up in New York to two highly-educated parents who pushed not only his academic development but also his creative talents as well. Kweli also showed talent in sports. He was already writing poems and other compositions in elementary school and later in school he branched into hip-hop. It was also in high school that he became friends with another student, Dante Smith, who would later become the hip-hop mogul Mos Def.

Early in his development as an artist, he met DJ Hi-Tek of the rap group Mood. Kweli was asked to perform on the group's 1997 album entitled Doom. Hi-Tek and Kweli started collaborating together after the album. They soon added Mos Def and created the group Black Star. The resulting album released by the group in 1998 was a success and propelled the rappers into the spotlight. Mos Def decided to go solo after the release, and Hi-Tek and Kweli released an album in 2000 together called Reflection Eternal. The album did well, pushing Kweli to release a solo album in 2002 called Quality.

Quality was a success, reaching number six on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts and number 21 on the Billboard 200. After the success of that album, he worked on a track with Kanye West and a remix of the same song with Jay-Z. He released his sophomore solo album in 2004, The Beautiful Struggle, which featured singer Mary J. Blige and top producers like the Neptunes. The album did even better that his last, reaching 14 on the Billboard 200. He released a mix tape in 2005 before releasing Eardrum in 2007. Eardum was his most successful album to date, reaching number two on the R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Billboard 200 charts.