Don't be fooled by the rocks that Talib Kweli's got. He's still Talib from the block.

These past 12 months have been good ones for Talib Kweli. Unless you really love hip-hop, you'd probably never heard of the Brooklyn-born MC until recently. But thanks to Kanye West, Dave Chappelle and this new trend of socially conscious rappers finally getting some mainstream success (I like it), Talib is slowly getting his hard-fought props.

He's at the top, sort of, finally. So maybe that's why, with his new album Beautiful Struggle, he feels the need to keep reminding us how authentic he is.

I could never figure out why I like Talib so much more on other peoples' tracks than I do on his own, but with Beautiful Struggle, I think I've finally cracked the case; he's boring! This man is one of the best lyricists in the game, but he can't get away from pontificating on his own realness for long enough to string three good verses together.

Whether he's blasting ice rap, condemning other rappers for their sexism (noble, but redundant), or discussing his own credentials, Talib can't stop going off about how he's the realest MC out there. I don't doubt for a second that Kweli is authentic, since it's all there in his words, and I like hearing it to an extent. But not on every verse of every song. Don't hate, Talib.

There are some great songs (the Kanye-and-Mary J.-laced "I Tried" being the best of the bunch) on Beautiful Struggle, some good beats, some clever rhymes. But there's just too much Talib!He's real, all right. Real repetitive. Just save your cash 'til the new Mos Def album comes out.

-- Reviewed by Paul Thompson