Speaking loudly, saying nothing, you confusing me, you losing me/ Synthesized surface conceals the interior/Īmerica, land of opportunity/ Mirages and camouflages, more than usually/ Most cats in my area be loving the hysteria/ That everything you see ain't really how it be/Ī lot of jokers out running in place, chasing the style/īe a lot going on beneath the empty smile/
"Yo, I'm sure that everybody out listening agree/ Now, trust me, I get that's a lot to say and there are other artists who come close (Andre 3000 on ATLiens, Nas on Illmatic, etc), but the vivid poetics and the clarity within the lyricism of Mos is undeniable. I'll take this a step further: I don't think I've heard anyone who lyrically crafted verses better on an album than Mos Def on the Blackstar album. I've gone on record to say that there is no rapper in the game that lyrically had a run quite like Mos Def in his prime, and I still struggle to find someone better. Fast forward 20 years and I feel that way even more. Talib Kweli wasn't my favorite MC, but every verse Mos put out on this album sounded like the gospel to me at a much younger age. When the Blackstar was released near the end of 1998, I remember being one of the very few to own a copy of it. This was my first time hearing Mos, as I had the Lyricist Lounge album on cassette tape and I remember being intrigued by his verse and his lyrical composite. Mos would make an appearance on the Rawkus Records compilation Lyricist Lounge, and he would rap alongside the legendary Q-Tip on "Body Rock". Mos would find himself traveling in the underground hip hop circuit as the Blackstar project began to become a reality. But overall, this is a return to form that should at the least reintroduce Mos Def to the critical limelight, and remind people that when he wants to be, he’s still one of the best hip-hop MCs around.He would release his first solo single in 1997, the slept on gem known as "Universal Magnetic". There’s also moments of incoherence, and although the production’s good, it rarely hits heights beyond the familiar solidarity you’d expect from this sort of line-up. He touches on topics of life, love, war, recession and religion, and sounds as raw, energetic and inspired as he has for a long time – perhaps, yes, since Black on Both Sides. But what of him as a rapper? Well, he’s willing to experiment adding his own verse to Stones Throw soul vocalist Georgia Anne Muldrow’s ‘Roses’, and rapping entirely in Spanish on the surprisingly pleasant ‘No Hay Mada Mas’.
and Mos himself contributes to the production on The Ecstatic’s energetic closer ‘Casa Bey’. Thankfully Preservation, who produced the majority of Mos’ last LP True Magic, steps his game up with the soulful ‘Priority’ and Fela Kuti-sampling ‘Quiet Dog Bite Hard’. Flash proves a welcome addition behind the boards for three tracks, including the drum-heavy rattler ‘Life in Marvellous Times’. Production-wise, The Ecstatic’s the definition of solid, with Stones Throw’s finest Madlib providing four backing tracks from his back catalogue (including the album’s highlight in the Slick Rick-featuring ‘Auditorium’) and his younger brother Oh No adding his unique mix of funk, soul and jazz to ‘Pistola’ and album opener ‘Supermagic.’ The Neptunes’ Chad Hugo contributes the heavy-hitting ‘Twilight Speedball’, while Ed Banger’s Mr. But almost ten years on from his first solo LP (not to mention the last three years away from the rap scene), he’s at least come close with his fourth full-length, The Ecstatic. It’s been said that Mos Def will never do anything as good as his 99’ classic Black on Both Sides, and it’s probably true.
Rating: 7.5 / Label: CD/LP / Label: Downtown
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