"The Proud", one of the most famous song from Talib Kweli. This is a response to the song of what he lives for and how he feels with the world today.

Essay by islipiro February 2004

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Brooklyn's Talib Kweli, a Hip Hop artist who is not afraid to tell in his songs what he feels and convey his message is one of the most respected rappers in the Culture of Hip Hop. I choose his song called "The Pride" from his latest album "Quality" and found it the best song lyrically I heard for a long time. The song, "The Proud," outweighs any spokesperson or presidents' words on civil rights issues haunting the country of USA (and others). This music is truly the voice of the people. In the album cover Talib writes, "This song is inspired by the real life events." He explains that, "The verses are conversations," that he has with himself and that he prays that his observations "create discussion that leads to truth and action that frees" his people. The theme of this song is obviously the struggle people have to face in this word full of lies, and that even though its hard sometimes we should keep our heads up and stay proud.

The song is written to educate the uneducated, it talks about many issues politicians are scared to talk about and about how worthless the justice system is towards black people especially those below the poverty line.

Imagery in the song is very powerful and it helps Talib convey his message to the listener. He reinforces his images with various similes to make his message even clearer.

Good examples of images in the song are in all 3 interludes. In the first interlude Talib talks about Timothy McVeigh "Timothy McVeigh is executed And the country breathe a sigh of relief" after hearing this verse the listener can imagine the time when Timothy Mc Veigh is executed as Talib states many people taught that killing him would solve many...