Talib Kweli tour takes ‘Hip Hop Live!’ across America

For the second year, some of the hottest new acts in rap are teaming up for the Hip Hop Live! Tour. MCs Talib Kweli and David Banner will share this year’s headlining bill and perform all dates, while Little Brother and B.o.B. will provide support on different legs of the tour.

Hip Hop Live! begins its circuit on September 28 in San Diego, CA, and wraps up October 25 in New York, NY. The full schedule includes several closed events at colleges and universities across the country (not included on the itinerary below).

Talib Kweli performances support his 2007 release “Eardrum,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The record is Kweli’s third solo effort, following 2004’s “The Beautiful Struggle.” Co-headliner David Banner just released his fifth studio album, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” on July 15. Though he is best known for his 2008 single “Get Like Me,” Banner is also a music producer and actor, having appeared in several films since 2007.

Supporting duties will be split between the alternative hip-hop group Little Brother and the guitar-weilding rapper B.o.B. Little Brother will accompany the tour on all dates from September 28 through October 13. B.o.B. will report for duty at the October 18 performance in Athens, GA, and continue through the end of the tour on October 25.

The MCs featured on the tour will perform their signature songs with a twist. Instead of a pre-recorded accompaniment, each artist will throw verses in front of a live band, the Rhythm Roots All Stars. The ten-piece instrumental group has performed with some of the industry’s biggest names, including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and the Black Eyed Peas. According to the tour’s Web site, the nightly collaborations will result in “unique versions of the songs [the artists] have made mainstays.”

Although the main billing for the tour is limited to Kweli, Banner, Little Brother and B.o.B., promotion on the tour’s Web site has hinted at single-night guest appearances during the 15-city outing. Last year, Hip Hop Live! featured performances by Ghostface Killah, Rakim and Brother Ali.

Hip Hop Live! Tour itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)

* with Little Brother
+ with B.o.B.