at a glance...

Hometown: New York, NY (Brooklyn)
First Recordings: 1996

Members:
Mos Def -lead vocals, percussion, bass, keyboards, production
Psycho Les -production
Talib Kweli -vocals
Ali Shaheed Muhammed -production
Busta Rhymes -vocals
Weldon Irvine -vocals

Bands in the Family:

Black Star, Reflection Eternal, Common, The Roots, De La Soul, Jill Scott, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip

Notes:
When Mos Def stepped to the forefront of conscious hip-hop in 1998, little many realize that he'd been lurking in the shadows for several years. He was a member of the short-lived Urban Thermo Dynamics (U.T.D.), and made guest appearances in 1996 on De La Soul’s “Big Brother Beat,” and and The Bush Babees album Gravity. Mos led the charge as independent Rawkus Records started making noise in 1997, with prominent tracks on both the Soundbombing 1 and Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 compilations. Those records lead to Mos becoming somewhat of a darling of the New York music community, and landed him guest spots with a wide range of artists, from DJ Honda and The Roots to Whale and Scritti Politti. 1998’s Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star truly gave hope to fans in search of new sources of smart hip-hop music. Mos and Kweli, who also released tracks as Reflection Eternal with Mr. Man from The Bush Babees, met in 1995 in the area surrounding New York University, where Kweli was studying experimental theater. In 1999, Mos became the darling of hip-hop’s underground, appearing on tracks from a wide range of artists. Mos’ background in drama has landed him roles in NYPD Blue and a popular VISA commercial, and he has expressed interest in pursuing acting again in the future.

Keep it real. Represent. Come correct.

Rappers spout these cliches as they espouse the merits of originality in hip-hop music, but in reality the creative process in hip hop is simple: Some cat comes out with a new interpretation of a preceding style, hits the commercial jackpot, and then everyone in the industry scrambles to replicate that formula. What this process fails to recognize is that the true innovators, the ones that leave you winded CAN’T be copied, which is the essence of their gift. The mighty Mos Def has been sculpting his lyrical art for years, and while 1998’s Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star may have been the best pure hip-hop album of that year, Mos’ first solo album is required listening for anyone that lists “music” as a personal interest.

There are dollops of predecessors like Rakim and De La Soul’s Posdnous in Mos’ rhyme delivery, but neither of those craftsmen can match Mos’ diverse musicality. He played congas, keyboards and bass on most of the tracks on the album, which intersperses straight-ahead beats and rhymes with doses of Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity-type soul and funk. The ability to mix that diversity with both insightful black power politics and raw emotion makes this album special. Mos stresses water conservation in “New World Water,” warns against materialism on “Got,” and preaches on “Rock n Roll,” a heavy guitar-driven ode to the music’s roots in black culture: “Elvis Presley ain't got no soul/Chuck Berry is rock and roll/You may dig on the Rolling Stones/But they ain't come up with that style on they own.”

But as was the case on tracks on 1998’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, songs like “Umi Says” convey true emotion and sincere vulnerability (“Sometimes I feel like crying/Sometimes my heart gets heavy”), which is an absolute anomaly in hip-hop music. Black on Both Sides is an articulate testament to the power of the soul in music.

If you like Mos Def, check out:

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star
Various Artists Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1
Jill Scott Who Is Jill Scott?
De La Soul Stakes is High
Gil Scott-Heron Pieces of a Man

-- Jim Welte

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