Talib Kweli considers himself a “working-class artist” who has been keeping the streets fed with music for nearly three decades. In September, he linked up with producer J. Rawls and dropped off his tenth studio album, The Confidence of Knowing, but even without a new release, his presence is felt amongst Hip Hop fans.

For the better part of any given year, the Black Star rapper is on the road performing shows across the country. That non-stop grind is the reason the Brooklyn lyricist is confident that his name is among the creme de la creme of artists cementing their spot in Hip Hop. “I do feel like I’m the most touring rapper, if not one of [them],” he said on the “Touré Show” podcast.

“Some guys, you know Drake just got off this what, two-year tour, some guys go on tour but they have success and go on tour, but then there’s breaks,” he continued, drawing a line of demarcation between himself and peers. “For me, it’s just constant touring. It’s like the jet lag is my perpetual state of being. Like if I’m not jet lagged, it’s a problem.” Since rebounding from the pandemic, he estimates that he’s rocking crowds at more than 200 shows a year, a drop-off from his former 300-plus booking prior to the 2020 shutdowns.

With 10 albums, several mixtapes and celebrated work with Yasiin Bey and others, Kweli still doesn’t find his name at the top of mind for most consumers. He knows exactly why too. “I think it’s fair for a casual listener of Hip Hop to view me through the lens of what we call [a] one-hit wonder. I think that’s fair,” he admitted.

But don't call him a has-been. “Most people who listen to music… where my name is recognized, they’re like that’s the guy from ‘Get By.’ Or that’s the guy who did a song with Kanye,” said the Javotti Media label founder. “They know about one hit, maybe two, and so that’s what a one-hit wonder is, it’s not necessarily a fair thing when you look at the scope of my whole career, and my fans would argue to death on that… I’m very honest and aware of my place in the culture.”

Get into the full conversation below, where Kweli also dishes on what it's like to work with Bey as Black Star.