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There is no better venue match for the passionate "reality rap" of Talib Kweli than the San Diego House of Blues.

Kweli took the stage on Sunday night January 27, 2008 sporting a Jay Z-esque all black tee and hat atop subtle denim pairings. A packed multicultural crowd screamed for the progressive MC as smiles and anticipating chatter filled the air.

The "Help Ever Hurt Never" mantra of the San Diego House of Blues physically manifests within the universal religious and cultural art and décor spread throughout the multilevel restaurant, bar, and music venue. As the lights popped and Kweli grabbed the microphone, the oversize symbols of equality and religious freedom above the House of Blues stage seemed to translate into the words and rhythms echoing into the crowd from on-point speakers.

Talib Kweli is an artist that truly performs for his audience - unleashing a blend of fan favorite hits from Reflection Eternal and The Beautiful Struggle in addition to his latest album Eardrum. Kweli's old school anthems "Move Somethin'" and "Soul Rebels" from Reflection Eternal shook the crowd and the new movement "Hot Thing" inspired shoulder-rubbing sways from the loft bar to the intimate dance floor. Special guest Planet Asia joined Kweli and performed his own intermission of innovative rhyme.

While top bands and devoted fans rotate through San Diego House of Blues on a weekly basis, the post-show consensus was unanimous, "That was the best Hip Hop concert I've ever seen." Kweli proves the point that Hip Hop can be and is a true art form. Replacing fantasy with reality, Kweli doesn't just entertain, he educates.

Within the House of Blues, Kweli invited the crowd into a poetic trance of political, personal, and societal commentary, analyzing the basic roots of humanity through a hypnotic lens of enduring rhyme. As the Beautiful Struggle came to a temporal end, Kweli turned his stage into a dance floor, inviting up stars-to-be to showcase their art in movement.

The stage passion and venue heat contrasted quickly with the fresh night air of the Gaslamp streets. Exiting the San Diego House of Blues, the many details of the show danced along rainy corridors and locals continued to praise the man in black in Reflection Eternal.