Talib Kweli, considered to be one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of his time, will perform a benefit concert at DePaul University May 12 at the DePaul Athletic Center, 2323 N. Sheffield Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m., and a local hip-hop act, Outfitters, will open the show at 7 p.m. Kweli will take the stage at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets to the performance are $15. For ticket information call 773/935-2738 or email: sjptickets@gmail.com.

Kweli, 31, dubbed “the earnest MC” due to his politically and socially conscious music, rose to stardom in the late 1990s when he rapped alongside Mos Def and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star. Critics have credited the group, and its debut album of the same name, with spearheading a fleeting movement that took hip-hop music back to its conscious roots and away from the materialist, violent and sexually explicit images of gangsta rap.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to college-professor parents, Kweli’s first name means “student” in Arabic, and his last name is Ghanaian for “of truth or knowledge.” His latest album, “The Beautiful Struggle,” was released in the fall of 2004.

All proceeds from the concert will benefit the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, an organization that distributes powdered milk to malnourished Palestinian children. The concert is sponsored by DePaul Students for Justice in Palestine.