Talib Kweli

Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star

Roots of legends

Review Score:

(10/10)
To write a review for this album in 2004 doesn't make a whole lot of sense but seeing as there is very little that impresses me in today's rap game it's much more positive to praise the classics than rip up the current garbage (although ripping albums to shreds is a lot more fun).

I was a huge Rawkus fan until they got all shady with their artists. I was told that Rawkus was shut down but then I saw them creditted on the Beautiful Struggle album so I'm not quite sure what's going on with them. Rawkus used to be your main source for pseudo-underground conscious hip-hip, i.e. Talib, Mos, Pharoahe Monch, Shabam Sadeeq etc. It was fresh to death because back in the mid to late 90s, with Tribe falling off and De La Soul not make their usual impact, the "mental caps for yo' dome piece" kind of hip hop was coming short.

Blackstar epitomized a strong and significant effort to revitalize hip hop's inner soul. It combines all 4 of the original elements of hip hop culture (MCing, graffing, breaking, DJing) and celebrates them over some quality production courtesy of the then-unknown Hi-Tek and some quality spitting courtesy of the then-slept-on Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Mos was really the only one of the two MCs to have made a splash in the industry before this dropped with an appearance on De La Soul's "Stakes is High" album in '96, while Talib Kweli kept his mic underground.

Back in 98, when the album dropped, there were very few artists on the mainstream grind who could keep up with Mos Def's flow, or Talib Kweli's lyricism. While this album was slept on in the mainstream it has nonetheless established itself as one of the all-time classics in hip hop history.

The key to this album is consistency. The album is deep, witty, intelligent and engages the listener with themes such as politics, self-analysis and love. "Definition", the album's lead-off single, addresses the current status of violence in hip hop; "Brown Skin Lady" is a sensitive ode to black women; "Respiration", my personal fave, invites Common Sense on the mic and intelligently addresses socio-economic issues.

We all know that since Blackstar both Mos Def and Talib Kweli have carved their own place in the hip hop industry. Mos' sophomore solo effort will be dropping in two weeks after falling off the radar for 5 years or so, and we're all looking forward to it (I got me a listen and it is bananas). Talib's been doing his thing and has even squeeked into the mainstream lineup here and there, which is great for both him and his listeners. Personally, if I see MCs like these two b-boy gentlemen blowing up and owning the charts like Nelly and Eminem have done for the last cople years... well I really couldn't complain. Cop the Blackstar album and you'll understand why I feel that way.

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