Pulling together a stellar cast of support including Chad Hugo, Mr Flash, Preservation, J Dilla and brothers Madlib and Oh No on the boards. So, onto ‘The Ecstatic’, an album I’m pleased to report sees a revitalised Mos Def back to his ‘Black on Both Sides’ best. Yet perversely his album washed over most in a tide of anonymity, with the man himself choosing to release the CD without promotion or cover art. Though the truth is that Mos Def didn’t alienate fans because of his politics in ‘The New Danger’ but rather his conceptual attempts as an artist (which he undoubtedly is) in collaborating with the likes of Gary Miller from Bad Brains over punk rock tracks, whereas the purists wanted him to drop knowledge over beats by Hi-Tek and Premier.īy the time of his third release, ‘True Magic’ 2 years later Mos was firmly established in Hollywood as the go to guy to attract an urban demographic. Although a veiled reference to Israeli-American record executive Lyor Cohen (the “tall Israeli running this rap shit”, who was then head of The Island Def Jam Music Group) is a more likely reason behind the tracks exclusion. One song causing particular controversy, “The Takeover”, which was removed in the US due to ‘sample issues’ according to then-label, Geffen. His sophomore record, ‘The New Danger’, bared little resemblance to the buoyant feel of his debut, instead it was a fairly turgid musical experimentation bogged down by political rants. Frustratingly for Mos’s many fans that first fell for him via his music there was a 5-year break between solo albums. This culminated in a big-budget turn in The Italian Job and the critically acclaimed Broadway show Top Dog/Underdog in 2002. Slowly, as ever, Hollywood became aware of this talented young New York MC/actor with a magnetic charm and the studios soon came calling.
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Consequently he became the poster boy for ‘conscious hip-hop’, due to his excellent solo debut ‘Black On Both Sides’ and the eponymous release as one half of Black Star with Talib Kweli.Īfter the collapse of Rawkus records, Mos returned to his passion for acting, appearing in several straight to TV films and theatre productions. Soulful, boombap productions coupled with a highly dexterous yet eloquent delivery of intelligent lyrics completed his signature sound. To make matters worse, the record was released on December 29th, virtually assuring it would be missed in the New Year sales rush.A little over 10 years ago Mos Def’s star was firmly in the ascent. In part, this may have been the rapper’s own fault – Mos Def requested the album be released in clear packaging and no artwork. Containing some of his best work the album received a Grammy nomination but failed to break through to a wider audience. Mos Def last released an album of original material in 2006 with ‘True Magic’. Flash, J Dilla and Madlib, the rapper is on sensational form. Using such talents as Oh No, Chad Hugo (half of The Neptunes), Preservation, Mr.
Teaming up with a raft of innovative producers, Mos Def is set to outdo them all with his new album.
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The Roots released ‘Rising Down’ which included a Mos Def rap on the album’s title track, while Q Tip released his new joint ‘The Renaissance’.įor a full interview with Q Tip just click HERE! ‘The Ecstatic’ is set to be released in a year peppered with great returns from Mos Def’s contemporaries. Debut album ‘Black On Both Sides’ was released ten years ago, becoming an instant hip hop classic, but Mos Def is definitely not in the mood to look back.
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