Talib Kweli breaks down the lyrics to his songs "Turnt Up" and "Get By" for Life + Times' Decoded series. "Turnt Up" is the latest dose of street journalism from Kweli's new LP Prisoner Of Conscious, which dropped on May 7th. The track references A Tribe Called Quest's "Steve Biko" on the cadence and lyrical content of the hook. He gets deeper into the lyrics - words he says were inspired by Eric B. & Rakim - by going over the points he made in each verse. Ironically, "Turnt Up" plays a little like a follow-up to "Get By" - the joint about the trials of life with the ultra-catchy hook from Kweli's 2002 LP Quality. Kweli also talks about the history of "Get By", a track produced by Kanye West with verses inspired by the sound of Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love You." He also touches on his desire to write great lyrics and cites The Beatles as one of his abiding inspirations. Check the full breakdown for both tracks below. Scroll down to spend A Day In The Life of Talib Kweli. Purchase Prisoner Of Conscious via iTunes.
Spotted at L+T
