Holy Daze by Talib Kweli

Holy Daze


Christmas Wrap - I'd like to thank my daughter Diani for inspiring me to write this song and thank her for joining me on the hook. This Holy Daze album was largely inspired by our yearly family Christmas dinners. As we get older families change, elders pass on and young ones grow up. This song is a reminder of what really matters when the family gets together.

What Would Jesus Do - This song required some research so I could make sure I had my facts straight. It was written and recorded years ago but felt timely to release right now. I'm always challenging myself to write stories so this was my take on the greatest story ever told. Traveling the world has let me see that whether you worship Jesus or not, the idea of Christ has inspired countless works of art. I'm adding on here.

Christmas Time Is Here - We went for that timeless feel here. One love to the Whiskey Boys, the band I've been rocking with for years. Also, I love working with Yummy Bingham. Her voice is at the same time innocent and full of experience and wonder. This song is the most unapologetically holiday song on this album without sacrificing any of our aesthetic. Hopefully it inspires you to make your own list of favorite holiday movies.

War On Christmas - This is the first song I recorded for Holy Daze when I thought of this concept years ago. I am someone who enjoys holiday music but has a hard time finding good holiday music that captures a hardcore underground hiphop vibe. War On Christmas is me attempting to create that. The subject matter is inspired by the fragility of the FOX News crowd and their aversion to the phrase "Happy Holidays." That phrase acknowledges that there are other religions besides Christianity that celebrate the holidays in this season.

You Are My Everything - I enjoy working with Ayanna Irish so I'm always looking for opportunities for us to work together. When I heard this OhNo beat I thought her voice would sound right on it so I sent it to her immediately. Originally this was supposed to be a straight up love song but when I heard Ayanna's own Christmas songs I felt she would be best suited for the Holy Daze album, so I added some holiday bars and voila. We have a love song for the holidays.

Greensleeves - This is a Christmas standard. My favorite version of this song is the Coltrane version, so I played that for the band and let them create their own interpretation of it. What we came up with encapsulates the magic of what the Whiskey Boys has become. We are speaking the language of music here, those who know, know.

Auld Lang Syne - This is a song that everyone knows but nobody knows at the same time. I didn't actually even know the name of it until after we "covered" it. We had a lot of fun making this. Chris Riggins was a joy to work with and he adds laughs and levity to the song.

The Brooklyn-based MC earned his stripes as one of the most lyrically-gifted, socially aware and politically insightful rappers to emerge in the last 20 years.

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