Mos Def's partnership with Talib Kweli produced one of the most important hip-hop albums of the late '90s, 1997's brilliant Black Star. Consciously designed as a return to rap's musical foundations and a manifesto for reclaiming the art form from gangsta/playa domination, it succeeded mightily on both counts, raising expectations sky-high for Mos Def's solo debut. He met them all with Black on Both Sides, a record every bit as dazzling and visionary as Black Star. Black on Both Sides strives to not only refine but expand the scope of Mos Def's talents, turning the solo spotlight on his intricate wordplay and nimble rhythmic skills -- but also his increasing eclecticism. The main reference points are pretty much the same -- old-school rap, which allows for a sense of playfulness as well as history, and the Native Tongues posse's fascination with jazz, both for its sophistication and cultural heritage. But they're supported by a rich depth that comes from forays into reggae (as well as its aura of spiritual conscience), pop, soul, funk, and even hardcore punk (that on the album's centerpiece, "Rock n Roll," a dissection of white America's history of appropriating black musical innovations). In keeping with his goal of restoring hip-hop's sociopolitical consciousness, Def's lyrics are as intelligent and thoughtfully crafted as one would expect, but he doesn't stop there -- he sings quite passably on several tracks, plays live instruments on others (including bass, drums, congas, vibraphone, and keyboards), and even collaborates on a string arrangement. In short, Black on Both Sides is a tour de force by an artist out to prove he can do it all. Its ambition and execution rank it as one of the best albums of 1999, and it consolidates Mos Def's position as one of hip-hop's brightest hopes entering the 21st century.
Black on Both Sides received universal acclaim from critics. Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly praised the album's diversity and noted, "Merging old-school bravado with new-school poetics, the Brooklyn legend spouts incisive Afrocentric reality that takes all sides into account."[8] Dan Leroy of Yahoo! Music opined that "Not since Rakim's heyday has a mic-rocker so clearly articulated such complex and entertaining thoughts, with the ability to wax eloquently on matters metaphysical ('Love') and just plain physical ('Ms. Fat Booty')" and hailed the album as "a sure pick as one of the year's best."[1]
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The near two decades since then has seen an unprecedented output of critically acclaimed work, both as a solo artist and fierce collaborator. Working closely with big hitters from across hip-hop including the likes of The Roots, De La Soul, Madlib, Common, DJ Shadow, Kanye West (signing to G.O.O.D Records for a spell) as well as musicians from outside of the rap sphere including Gil Scott Heron, Bobby Womack and The Gorillaz amongst countless others, Mos Def has never been shy in sharing his genius with other artists to create something special.
"I was in Vancouver, Canada shooting '13 Ghosts' at the time and I must say it got me through a six-month period of not laying eyes on another black person [laughs]. It was also nice seeing a fellow Lyricist Lounge comrade doing big things."
Three, I remember the kids on my high school basketball team, many of them black, not really knowing who Mos Def was. They were into hip-hop, but something just didn't connect there. I think it was mostly because Mos Def didn't get any play on Hot 97. Like, if you didn't read rap magazines and hang out in downtown New York, you really had no idea who Mos was."
Fifteen years ago, I was 17 years old and kind of a bookworm, so I don't have any stories about fascinating events 'Black on Both Sides' soundtracked per se. One thing it did do for me at the time was present a genre-busting blueprint for left-of-center blackness that was crucial for me as a sorta weird inner city kid with a healthy contempt for late '90s commercial rap. Without getting cheesy 'Black on Both Sides' (and Black Star and Lauryn's [Hill's] 'Miseducation,' etc) was the record I needed at the time."
"'The Black Star' album dropped in my junior year of high school and I played it around the clock for a year. But I was one of the only people in the world who liked Kweli's verses on that album more than Mos's. My brother and I would share albums and never buy the same thing, and if we both wanted to hear something, whoever was more interested would buy it, and I let him buy 'Black On Both Sides.' 'Ms. Fat Booty' just seemed like a cheesy single at the time, though it grew on me later. I'd fold my arms and act unimpressed, and to this day I like 'Train of Thought' more. But returning to 'Black on Both Sides' now, I didn't give it enough credit. The stylistic shifts work better than I thought they did at the time, and it's one of the few rap albums to really successfully pick up 'The Low End Theory''s trick of flipping every beat into the next beat with no dead air in between tracks."
\"I was in Vancouver, Canada shooting '13 Ghosts' at the time and I must say it got me through a six-month period of not laying eyes on another black person [laughs]. It was also nice seeing a fellow Lyricist Lounge comrade doing big things.\"
Three, I remember the kids on my high school basketball team, many of them black, not really knowing who Mos Def was. They were into hip-hop, but something just didn't connect there. I think it was mostly because Mos Def didn't get any play on Hot 97. Like, if you didn't read rap magazines and hang out in downtown New York, you really had no idea who Mos was.\"
Fifteen years ago, I was 17 years old and kind of a bookworm, so I don't have any stories about fascinating events 'Black on Both Sides' soundtracked per se. One thing it did do for me at the time was present a genre-busting blueprint for left-of-center blackness that was crucial for me as a sorta weird inner city kid with a healthy contempt for late '90s commercial rap. Without getting cheesy 'Black on Both Sides' (and Black Star and Lauryn's [Hill's] 'Miseducation,' etc) was the record I needed at the time.\"
\"'The Black Star' album dropped in my junior year of high school and I played it around the clock for a year. But I was one of the only people in the world who liked Kweli's verses on that album more than Mos's. My brother and I would share albums and never buy the same thing, and if we both wanted to hear something, whoever was more interested would buy it, and I let him buy 'Black On Both Sides.' 'Ms. Fat Booty' just seemed like a cheesy single at the time, though it grew on me later. I'd fold my arms and act unimpressed, and to this day I like 'Train of Thought' more. But returning to 'Black on Both Sides' now, I didn't give it enough credit. The stylistic shifts work better than I thought they did at the time, and it's one of the few rap albums to really successfully pick up 'The Low End Theory''s trick of flipping every beat into the next beat with no dead air in between tracks.\" 2ff7e9595c
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