Talib Kweli Removes Colt 45 Sponsorship From Concert

When Talib Kweli takes the stage at the Granada Theater in Kansas next week, one well-known alcohol sponsor will be missing from the advertisements: Colt 45.

Kweli is distancing himself from the malt liquor company that has come under fire for its introduction of caffeine and alcohol fusion beverages.

"To my fans in Lawrence Kansas, the Granada Theater has partnered with Colt 45 without my knowledge to promote the show. We shut that down," Kweli revealed on his Twitter page Tuesday (April 12). "So on 4-20 I will be at the Granada in Lawrence Kansas but Colt45 is no longer involved in the show promo. Thank yall (fans) for alerting me."

Colt 45 has long been affiliated with figures in the hip-hop world. The company recently tapped Snoop Dogg to promote the brands newest fruit-flavored drink Blast by Colt 45. Critics have blasted Snoop's involvement with the brand, which has been said to target at under aged drinkers with its fruit flavors and pocket-sized bottles.

"While the federal government was shutting down dangerous caffeinated alcohol, Pabst Brewing Company was cooking up 'Blast,' a super sweet, fruit-flavored, supersized alcopop containing as much alcohol as four and a half cans of beer," said Lee Levingston, CEO of the Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog. "Joose, Four Loko, Tilt, and now Blast are racing to the bottom to harm youth."

Given the controversy, Kweli wants nothing to do with the beverage company, and is currently on tour promoting his latest release, 'Gutter Rainbows.'