Let’s not go that far yet; little Archie has made initial attempts at songwriting and musical arrangements and has written at least three songs, but that hardly makes him a musical Einstein. He may have won the 2008 Teen Choice Award for most fanatic fans (aren’t all fans technically fanatic?) and best smile, but he is still a 17-year-old boy who sings music made by other producers and songwriters. Whether this warrants admiration is for you and all of his 12-year-old girl groupies to decide.

The first single to come from his album was “Crush,” in August. It did not climb, but rather leaped to the top of iTunes charts within the first 24 hours of its release. It is definitely catchy, but his youthful innocence undoubtedly dominates. All you can hear is the angst of a sexually-confused pubescent, pining for his main squeeze. He is backed by a solid rhythm-and-blues beat and a bit of clapping, but it happens to be repetitive and when it finally breaks into the chorus, the dullness of the standard poppy refrain makes me want to change the track as fast as I can. It is one of those songs that you could have sworn you have heard before, but no, surprise! It just came out a couple months ago (but happens to have the exact same melody and rhythm of at least 20 other top 40 songs).

In “Touch My Hand,” he speaks to his young fan base, asking them to “reach out as far as [they] can” and touch his hand. No wonder his fans are fanatics: They are girls in love. In “My Hands,” he actually goes as far as to ask his chosen girl to “hold on” rather than just touch his hands. This is a crucial distinguishing factor, because now he wants the relationship to progress. How risqué! I can see how his catchy boy band melodies could instigate not only the swaying and/or head bopping of a prepubescent audience, but maybe some weakening of the knees or flurrying of butterflies in the stomach as well.

I was pretty excited at the beginning of “Barriers” as it began with a promisingly unique beat, but within the first 45 seconds, he was back into the groove of his pop as usual. He does begin to talk about worldly problems though, instead of just the torment of his love life, which is commendable. Archie has a foggy, soulful R&B-type voice, but his crooning sounds like a boy-band member without his band.

All I can imagine when listening to this album (if you can even call it that) is unicorn glitter sprinkled over hysterically-screaming teenage girls as he seemingly speaks directly to each and every one of them. “You Can” is a perfect example: Fans’ dreams come true as he asks them to “Save me from myself, you can. And it’s you and no one else…’Cause if anyone can make me fall in love, you can.” Let’s just hope he doesn’t turn 18 before he finds his adolescent love.

The album is horribly bland. With the exception of “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” which incorporates a smidge of whistling, and “Don’t Let Go” which is faintly edgier with the collaboration of ’N Sync’s JC Chasez, Archie’s beautiful voice goes to waste. For the lovey-dovey lyrics, his voice is too innocent. His cover of Robbie Williams’ “Angels” is perhaps the star of the album as he really stretches his voice and sings with more emotion. He is almost a tease to these poor girls as he sings these lyrics that seemingly come directly from him, when in all actuality, he is just another 17-year-old boy who is wonderfully vocally gifted, but is clueless in every sense of the word.

All I know is that this album has no place among today’s pop: He may be fulfilling 13-year-old girls’ wholesome romantic aspirations, but we want to hear the passion and emotion in songs that are his own, not arranged by random people who think they’re hotshots. When you start writing your own songs, Archie, let us know.

First things first: pronunciation. The name is TAH-lihb QUA-lee. A notably “socially-conscious” rapper hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Kweli began bending the minds of the public with his lyrics in mix tapes in the 1990s. He gained notoriety in his collaboration with Mos Def on the album “Black Star” in 1998 but released his first solo album, “Quality,” in 2002, followed by “The Beautiful Struggle” in 2002 and “Eardrum” in 2007. He has collaborated with such big names as Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Jean Grae and even Ben Kweller. We have the incredible honor of welcoming this lyrical genius to the Wash. U. campus this weekend.

What is dubbed rap and hip-hop music can get a bad rap: much of the genre that we see in the mainstream is criticized as shallow, empty and materialistic. Admittedly, I agree with most of these criticisms. But what I love about rap is that it makes people nervous: With its crude language, street-smart and unrelenting vocals and controversial themes ranging from angry expressions of social anxieties to X-rated sexual innuendo, all backed by an often jarringly jittery beat, the music attacks the listener. Talib Kweli exemplifies that sonic assault by actually saying something pertinent, but also keeps with the party atmosphere in his beats.

Sadly, most people experience only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rap and hip-hop. Commercial radio is dominated by tunes that are undoubtedly catchy, danceable and fun, but usually deliver a less than substantive message (not that “Superman that ho” isn’t totally useful).

After Tupac and Biggie died, rap lost its power; it used to focus on beats, music and the overall style of dancing and rhythm rather than the pimp/gangsta/swagga and bling-bling of our era. What’s great about TK is that, like partners The Game, Kanye West and Common, he flexes his lyrical muscle to reflect the issues surrounding us. His music makes people stick their hands in the air like they just don’t care—and think at the same time.

That said, he absolutely has the admiration of his “brother” Jay-Z, as on “The Black Album” he gives props to TK in a widely-known lyric: “If skills sold, truth be told/ I’d probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli.” Even to Jay-Z, if lyrical dexterity sold records, TK would be top of the charts.

So now that this musical maverick is coming to campus, what should we do to adequately prepare ourselves for the evening to come? If you aren’t already familiar with his music, listen up. He kicks proverbial ass with his first solo album, “Quality,” produced by a medley of artists including Kanye, Mos Def and The Roots. Though the themes throughout aren’t too cohesive, flawless lyrical quality is backed by wicked beats.

Of course, there’s “Get By,” his infamous party song (involving sex, weed and drinking) yet also emphasizing that “We keeping it gangsta say ‘fo shizzle’ ‘fo sheezy’ and ‘stayin’ crunk’/ It’s easy to pull a breezy, smoke trees and we stay drunk/ Yo our activism attackin’ the system, the blacks and Latins in prison/ Numbers of prison they victim black in the vision.” The track is produced by Kanye and is unquestionably catchy, referencing everything from Norman Mailer to The Beatles. “Waitin’ for the DJ” is also radio friendly, and “Guerilla Monsoon Rap” is smart but thuggish at the same time. Give the album a shot.

If you liked “Get By”, pick up “The Beautiful Struggle.” “I Try” featuring Mary J. Blige is definitely a song to hit. It has similar piano riffs and beats, and TK continues with his crazed rhymes. The album’s title track, “Beautiful Struggle,” is also wonderfully worthy of a head bob. “The revolution’s here…I heard it’s said the revolution won’t be televised/ But in the land of milk and honey there’s a date you gotta sell it by/ Otherwise it just expires and spoils.” He curses politics and laughs in the faces of those who identify the problems and do nothing about them. Sound familiar in this election season?

Lastly, I’ll suggest a couple of tracks to check out on his album “Eardrum,” which straddles the line between maintaining underground ties and giving into the business of music that is all about the Benjamins. Tune in to “NY Weather Report,” which will give you a detailed meteorologists’ report of how it feels to be brought up in New York.

No doubt the most “W.I.L.D.-ready” track on the album is “Hostile Gospel Part 1 (Deliver Us)”: it is practically the greatest club rap track to come out of the year 2007. He makes it impossible for you to tear your attention away from him. Toward the end, as he calls out different institutions on their flaws, he wants to “plead the fifth, can’t trust a soul in the biz.” Anyone with such disdain for systematic institutions definitely gains points in my book.

The point? Get pumped about W.I.L.D. We are in for a fantastically crafted performance, both musically and lyrically. Talib Kweli shows that you don’t need backup dancers and an entourage to be a great rapper. You need a quick enough mind to keep up with an even faster tongue, and a deep appreciation for those in whose footsteps you follow. He is bound to show us the way he does it and certainly gain our respect in the process.

This album is proof that everyone loves a comeback. Hoping to reclaim the fame of his first albums, T.I. opens with the track “56 Barz” with no hooks, no chorus, but just straight-up rhymes for more than three minutes. The beats are pretty generic, but typical egotistical lyrics such as “I’m back on top like a toupe” begin the album with a compelling reason to keep listening.

T.I. really can get lyrical: “I’m Illy” details his rage at possibly having to go to prison, while “Ready for Whatever” attempts to explain why he was stockpiling an arsenal in his bedroom closet. The songs get kind of repetitive and lack ingenuity until you hit “Live Your Life,” featuring Rihanna and including O-Zone’s catchy “Dragostea Din Tei.” Between that sample and the repetitively nauseating vocals, T.I. successfully came up with one of the worst songs I have ever heard. Did you even know that such a bad idea existed? His attempt to recreate the harmony format of the Numa Numa song and the mixed-in message that people should be thankful for what they have just turns into a messy and irritating five-minute-plus tune that I had an excruciating time stomaching.

My favorite thing to do when listening to a new hip hop album is to give it a good run-through and make guesses as to which tracks will be radio hit singles. As I got to the second half of the album, I found three sure-to-be hits: “Whatever You Like,” “What Up, What’s Haapnin’,” and “Swagga Like Us.”

“Whatever You Like” is simply catchy: The entire song involves T.I. crooning to his shawty that she can have whatever she wants both materially and sexually. He is so romantic as he gabs, “…you the hottest/ Love the way you drop it/ Brain so good, coulda sworn you went to college.” What a guy. I am fairly certain that he could totally get any girl to just scream “take me now.” Similarly, “What’s Up, What’s Haapnin’” is fast-paced and catchy. This album has the utterly-key ability to get people up and dancing, rather than just bobbing their heads.

As it turns out, however, only two of the three songs I predicted are actually on the top five on iTunes: “Whatever You Like” is at three, but at number one is “Swagga Like Us,” featuring Kanye, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z (“What Up” was at number six). Besides the obvious all out effort on guest appearances, Kanye uses a vocal sample from M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” to spice things up in the hook. The song consists of each MC providing examples of how no one’s swagger compares to theirs.

Curious as to what a swagger is exactly? It can be explained as the way in which these rapper personalities present themselves to the world. For example, Kanye says “I’m Christopher Columbus, y’all just the pilgrims/ Thanksgiving do we even gotta question” while Jay-Z suggests we “Follow [his] steps, it’s the road to success…and the girls say yes.” To top off the verses of his fellow top rappers, T.I. knocks them all to the ground: “All my verses perfect and they meant to serve a purpose…ain’t nobody as hot as me even if they rap they ass off blast off and have outstanding qualities/ Sell alotta records I respect and salute that/ but spitting real life on hot beats I’m the truth at.” I guess writing his lyrics down before he recorded the tracks was to his benefit as he schooled his companions royally.

All in all, he really plays the house arrest game well and made good use of his time. While he did technically substitute his studio time with court appearances, he has redeemed himself. There really is not any great rap music out right now; people just tend to like making really bad music because people like listening to really bad music. Kanye’s “Love Lockdown” was awful, Nelly’s new album is less than stellar, and even Ice Cube is selling out and making appearances in kids movies. But T.I. will keep his status and remind people of why they loved his other albums. He is bound to keep his name in the book of southern rappers given that knack to yap.

Bloc Party’s Radiohead-style release surprised fans with a short-notice issue to prevent leaks. A digital version was available online on August 21, while the physical album is to be released on October 27.

After releasing the phenomenal “Silent Alarm” in 2005 and the mediocre-at-best “Weekend in the City” in 2007, front man and lyricist Kele Okereke spoke of “Intimacy” as his “break up album”: driving, forceful and inspired. Instead, it comes across as angry, forced and completely insipid.

Rather than the promised intimate sound, the album begins with unintelligible lyrics and howling guitar in “Ares”. Okereke attempts to express emotion not by pronouncing every syllable, but meshing his voice with the electronic trialing. With a call and response format, he chants “War! War! War!” in a Mulan-like battle cry. If this musical laboratory doesn’t get old by the end of the first track, “Mercury” chimes in with a catchier electronic sound that makes use of trumpets and is nearly guitar-less. Though it is ready for a club dance floor, its one line would not get past the bouncer. “In any part of the world, from Silver Lake to Williamsburg, you can pick another stranger and fall in love,” Okereke beckons. Inspired? I think not. Hopeless and cynical? That’s more of the familiar and honest breakup tale.

One track I was able to get through without pining away for my beloved “Silent Alarm” tracks was “Signs.” It begins with soft xylophone, refreshing after the screeching of non-instrumental sounds for five straight tracks, and unfolds into a more gentle love song with a mid-tempo, without being too over the top. Just don’t listen too closely to the lyrics, not just because you will be frustrated and unable to understand them, but because they’re awful. If I took one thing from this album, it would be the best advice that Okereke gives, in the track “Biko”: “Toughen up, this world isn’t kind to little beings.” There’s the cynical drive that makes me love angry rock that flirts with punk.

So did Bloc Party really derail their proverbial train with this failed experiment?  I think not. Imprudent tests aside, the energy that Bloc Party presents in its recordings is unquestionable. While they fail to strike a balance and experiment before actually producing the tracks, Bloc Party is not interested in the rock-god status of their predecessors, but rather in taking what they left and making something new. They need the criticism of this album to get back on track and keep with the charge of their beginnings.