Talib Kweli shits on emcees. He doesn't light them up like 50 Cent or defame them like Eminem. Talib simply illustrates their shortcomings through his own lyrical brilliance; other rappers suffer through comparison. On Quality, Kweli puts his distinguishing intelligence and a vibrant sound on display for all to hear, and the results are mostly pleasing. His first truly solo effort has plenty of interesting music and well-crafted versus with Talib's otherwise-apparent superiority only tempered by inconsistent production.

Even when not at his best, Talib Kweli is better than almost all of his contemporaries, though. Tracks like "Rush" and "Shock Body," two mediocre efforts that become moderately repetitive, feature dynamic horn riffs and arrangements that put many other beats to shame. Similarly, other songs that fail, like "The Proud" and "Where Do We Go," contain contemplative, emotional rhymes. Even the most disappointing track on the record, "Guerilla Monsoon Rap," boasts appearances from the outstanding Black Thought and Pharoahe Monch. (Thought, Monch and Kweli - a "Most Underrated" triumvirate - rap over a beat that can be best described as an annoying amalgamation of strings.)

Griping about the album's shortcomings - songs that are still better than many - only further illustrates how good the best of Quality is. On the jazzy "Get By," Talib comments on the unfortunate phenomenon wherein impoverished people can stagnate in misfortune. This social conscience can be found on many more of the album's bangers, and Kweli's amazing employment of metaphors and similes will keep fans closely engaged. The unique sounds on tracks like "Gun Music" and "Good to You" will also delight.

After hearing Quality a few times, listeners will realize that the success or failure of many songs is predicated on whether the music complements Talib's style. "Joy" has a bass line and drums which enhance Kweli's tightly constructed rhymes, while the DJ Quik-produced "Put It in the Air" has a lazy funk to it that doesn't mesh well with Talib's flow. Luckily, more often than not, the beats are on point, enabling Talib Kweli to be at his best. And even when his beats fail him, Kweli still makes everyone else seem inferior.