Amazon.com Talib Kweli's sophomore solo album arrives with considerable fear that his mainstream aspirations may turn off longtime fans (ah, the curse of the conscious rapper). However, the album isn't as crassly commercial as some might complain. To be sure, The Beautiful Struggle could stand more consistency, and the album's production is a primary liability: songs like "A Game" and "Going Hard" weakly ape current fads while "Around My Way" inadvisably interpolates the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." That said, the balance of the album still holds up to scrutiny. Kweli might cut a party track ("We Got the Beat") and puff up his street cred ("Back Up Offa Me"), but much of The Beautiful Struggle articulates itself with emotion and intellect: "I Try," "Ghetto Snow," and "Black Girl Pain," for example. Like Kweli's debut Quality, this follow-up falls considerably short of classic status, but it still suggests some moves in a promising direction. --Oliver Wang Product Description TALIB KWELI SPENT THE WINTER IN THE STUDIO PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON HIS SECOND ALBUM BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE THAT IS SET FOR RELEASE SEPT. 21, 2004. THE ANTICIPATION FROM HIS LOYAL FAN BASE WAS SO HIGH THAT IN THE LATE SPRING HE HAD TO PUT OUT A MIXTAPE & GO ON A SMALL TOUR TO HELP SATISFY HUNGRY THEM WITH A TASTE FROM HIS LATEST ALBUM. BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE INCLUDES GUEST APPEARANCES BY: MARY J. BLIGE, FAITH EVANS, RES, & MOS DEF & PRODUCTION BY KAYNE WEST (PRODUCED "GET BY"), JUST BLAZE, CHARLAMAGNE & OTHERS.