In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli”, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with soul and R&B singer-songwriter:
GOAPELE
Here’s what they got into:
- The South African origin of her name as well the correct pronunciation
- Her parent’s history of being activists against Apartheid
- Collaborating with South African artists Cassper Nyovest and Hip Hop Pantsula
- How the cultural gumbo of her upbringing in the Bay gave her a unique perspective
- Meeting a freshly signed Kanye West at the Fillmore Concert Hall
- Not realizing the power of her song “Closer” at the time they recorded it
- Her deep connection to the Hieroglyphic crew and their impact on hip hop
- Talib’s story of getting locked up with Tajai for smoking a blunt
- Dissecting the songs “Red, White, & Blues”, “Romantic”, and “Things Don’t Exist”
- Dave Chappelle’s spot-on impression of Nelson Mandela
- The impact of Zion I Rapper Baba Zumbi on the Bay Area rap scene
- Her experiences in the studio with E-40 and how cool a person he is
- Having the huge privilege of being able to perform with Prince
- Dissecting the songs “Play” & “Tears On My Pillow” and her album ‘Break Of Dawn’
- Goapele’s song “Hush” about navigating the struggles of motherhood
- Her 2014 album ‘Strong As Glass’ and Estelle writing the title song
- Working with Snoop Dogg on “Hey Boy”
- Goapele’s song “Perfect” about easing the pain of those in her community
- Her reluctance to holding a snake in the music video for “Dreamseeker”
- The influence of Aaliyah on Goapele as an artist
- Performing “For Love” in Ava DuVernay’s 2013 short film “The Door”
- Goapele’s work as an ambassador for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation
- Her sixth album that she’s currently working on and it’s pairing with scented candles
“People’s Party With Talib Kweli” is also available to give a listen via Spotify | SoundCloud | Google Play | Apple | Luminary