Talib Kweli - So Low

I always speak for the struggle
My people still hurting
I'm a name brand, I'm a product
But still a real person
I'm still flirting with death
Although I'm still certain
About my commitments in life
Although I'm still searching
I better find a way
If not, I better make a path
One thats seldom traveled by the masses

Few names are more closely associated with meaningful, intelligent hip hop than Talib Kweli's. And while he may occasionally celebrate that status by writing an self-indulgent, self-congratulatory boast track, So Low shows that he isn't afraid to wax introspective about his role as an artist.

I talk it how I live it
Yet I'm still considered
A walking contradiction
Cause I'm breaking out
Of your artistic prison, listen
I got my own demons
What I'm supposed to do with yours?
Times like this, I gotta remind myself what I do it for
People I knew before celebrity swear they see the change in me
I tell 'em change is God, you gotta let it be

There is a tendency to treat our favorite artists like vending machines, but it's worth considering that: (a) they are still human beings; and (b) constantly having to live up to the expectations of fans can be a burden.