Oscillating between cerebral gibberish and seemingly nonchalant, off-the-cuff boasts, it's obvious that Mos Def is back to enjoying his trade.
#MOS DEF THE ECSTATIC DISC ART FULL#
It was evident that he was not inspired, no doubt prompting a fair portion of his followers to think, "OK, maybe we should have been more specific: please make a good rap album." On The Ecstatic, it's not as if Mos Def makes a full return to the lucid/bug-eyed rhymes heard on decade-old cuts like "Hater Players" and "Hip Hop." Instead, he comes up with a mind-bending, low-key triumph, the kind of magnetic album that takes around a dozen spins to completely unpack. After he released 2006's True Magic, his first all-rap release in seven years - following the back-to-back instant classics Black Star and Black on Both Sides - it was easier to understand why he had been devoting much more time to acting and diversions like The New Danger. 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.During the first several years of the 2000s, it wasn't unreasonable to want Mos Def, one of the most dazzling living MCs, to make a rap album. 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. Teaming up with a raft of innovative producers, Mos Def is set to outdo them all with his new album. Using such talents as Oh No, Chad Hugo (half of The Neptunes), Preservation, Mr. Flash, J Dilla and Madlib, the rapper is on sensational form. Mos Def last released an album of original material in 2006 with ‘True Magic’. Containing some of his best work the album received a Grammy nomination but failed to break through to a wider audience. In part, this may have been the rapper’s own fault – Mos Def requested the album be released in clear packaging and no artwork. 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. Soulful, boombap productions coupled with a highly dexterous yet eloquent delivery of intelligent lyrics completed his signature sound.
#MOS DEF THE ECSTATIC DISC ART TV#
#MOS DEF THE ECSTATIC ALBUM COVER TV#Ĭonsequently 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. Slowly, as ever, Hollywood became aware of this talented young New York MC/actor with a magnetic charm and the studios soon came calling. This culminated in a big-budget turn in The Italian Job and the critically acclaimed Broadway show Top Dog/Underdog in 2002. Frustratingly for Mos’s many fans that first fell for him via his music there was a 5-year break between solo albums. 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.
One song causing particular controversy, “The Takeover”, which was removed in the US due to ‘sample issues’ according to then-label, Geffen. 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. 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. 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. So, onto ‘The Ecstatic’, an album I’m pleased to report sees a revitalised Mos Def back to his ‘Black on Both Sides’ best. Pulling together a stellar cast of support including Chad Hugo, Mr Flash, Preservation, J Dilla and brothers Madlib and Oh No on the boards.
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