Earlier this year, the legendary rapper Talib Kweli paired up with the prolific yet mysterious producer Madlib for their collaborative album Liberation 2. Last night (March 20), the duo brought the new album to life with a stirring performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The pair performed “Air Quotes” from the freshly released LP and it was a full stage as Kweli’s two children, Amani and Diani, grabbed microphones to drop off verses that impressed the masses.
Liberation 2 not only acts as a follow-up to Kweli and Madlib’s 2007 album but comes on the heels of No Fear of Time, the long-awaited sophomore LP from Kweli and his long-lost rap partner Yasiin Bey, which came out last year and was also produced by Madlib himself. Both albums were released through the Podcast company Luminary and can exclusively be streamed through their platform. Luminary also hosts the Midnight Miracle, a show that features Kweli, Bey, and their long-time friend Dave Chapelle.
The performance kicked off with sparse bursts of brass as Amani delivered a verse that was fueled by fire despite his calm demeanor. This verse bled into the terrific chorus Kweli created for “Air Quotes” as Madlib fires up the turntable and the smooth yet spacious instrumental. Right after Diani spit a verse packed with passion and intricate rhyme schemes, Kweli looked out to the crowd and pointed back to his children, and said “I really raised a GOAT, didn’t I?” A touching moment to cap off a performance that has hip-hop fans sprinting toward a Luminary subscription to hear the rest of Liberation 2.
Watch the full performance below:
