After spending the winter months hibernating in the studio, Talib Kweli has emerged for a late-spring tour.

The rapper is hitting the road starting Thursday (May 13) for a tour that he hopes will get people excited about the late-summer release of his new album, The Beautiful Struggle.

Kweli will tour the States for three weeks before heading to the U.K., where he's scheduled to play four shows with Missy Elliott. He'll then play the Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 2; additional dates and cities are being confirmed.

The MC recently warmed up for his tour with a performance opening up for Ghostface in New York (see "Talib Kweli, Ghostface Perform For The Old School In NYC"). After his set, the crowd cheered for more, something Kweli uses as a litmus test for his performance. "I don't want to come off sounding arrogant, but if I don't get an encore, if I don't get [the crowd] asking for one, I didn't do my job," he said.

The Beautiful Struggle follows up Kweli's 2002 breakthrough album, Quality (see "Talib Kweli Lets Music, Not Words, Drive His Beautiful Struggle"). The MC just released The Beautiful Mixtape, a preview of the album that includes guest spots from Styles, Fabolous, Common, Kanye West and comedian Dave Chappelle.

Talib Kweli's tour itinerary, according to his management:

  • 5/13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The World
  • 5/14 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
  • 5/15 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
  • 5/16 - St.Louis, MO @ Mississippi Nights
  • 5/18 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
  • 5/19 - Park City, UT @ Suede
  • 5/21 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
  • 5/22 - Santa Barbara, CA @ UCSB
  • 5/23 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
  • 5/24 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
  • 5/25 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
  • 5/27 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
  • 5/29 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
  • 5/31 - Sacramento, CA @ Colonial Theatre
  • 6/1 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
  • 6/3 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
  • 6/4 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Brick House
  • 6/5 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
  • 7/2 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest