Talib Kweli Signs With Warner Bros. Records

WBR Also Enters Deal With Brooklyn Rapper's Label, Blacksmith Music
Corp.; Jean Grae Will Be First Release


BURBANK, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/07/06 -- Warner Bros. Records is
pleased to announce that it has added critically acclaimed rapper
Talib Kweli to its artist roster.


In addition, Warner Bros. has signed an exclusive deal with Kweli and
his partner Corey Smyth to market, promote, and distribute new artists
the pair signs to their label Blacksmith Music Corp. The first release
on Blacksmith/WBR will be a new solo album from South African-born
female rapper Jean Grae.


"We are excited about the cutting-edge thought process that WBR
presents in the marketplace," Smyth says. "Kweli is a touring artist,
who is on the road 150 to 200 days a year, which is not the norm in
hip-hop. I feel that [WBR CEO] Tom Whalley and his staff understand
that, and they will think outside the box when it comes to how we will
market, promote and sell Kweli, Jean Grae, and future Blacksmith
artists. We are looking forward to making this a true success and
money-making venture for all."


Whalley is equally pleased about Kweli and Blacksmith joining the
fold. "Talib's personal integrity and lyrical gifts have made him one
of the most respected figures in rap," Whalley says. "He is a vanguard
artist with a reputation for bringing quality to everything he does.
We are thrilled that Talib and Smyth have decided to bring their
vision to our company."


Considered hip-hop's premier scholarly MC, Kweli first made a name for
himself in the late '90s by rapping alongside Mos Def as part of the
alternative hip-hop group Black Star, which rejected mainstream rap's
embrace of violence and bling in favor of addressing issues of black
consciousness and self-love. Kweli and Black Star's label Rawkus
helped usher in a golden age of socially aware DIY hip-hop that still
influences young artists today. Kweli has also released two
well-received solo albums, 2002's "Quality," which featured production
by a then-unknown Kanye West, and 2004's "The Beautiful Struggle,"
which addressed such issues as the plight of AIDS-infected orphans in
Sierra Leone.


Both Kweli and Grae are currently at work on their first
Blacksmith/WBR CDs with release dates planned for Spring 2006.