madtheory's Full Review: Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star [PA] by Black...
I think the first time I really noticed Mos Def and Talib Kweli was on the original Lyricist Lounge CD. Mos Def’s appearance on “Body Rock” was very impressive (“Got the opposition shook like Tiger Woods about to tee up.”) and Kweli’s “The Manifesto” really knocked me over. I tried to remember the names of the standouts on that CD set, so that if I saw their EPs or LPs in a record store, I’d be sure to pick them up. Never would I have imagined that two of the best artists from that project would combine to create such an extraordinary Hip Hop alliance.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli together comprise Black Star, and in 1999, they released Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star, introducing most of the rap world to their remarkable rap skills and their spiritual, socially conscious lyrics. For the music, they made sure to bring along some of the finest producers from their various underground projects, specifically 88 Keys, Shawn J. Period, and DJ Hi-Tek, Kweli’s associate in his other group, Reflection Eternal. Powered by pure talent, determination, and purpose, Black Star shone brilliant light into many of the darkest corners of rap music. And some “emcees” are still rubbing their eyes.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Astronomy (8th Light) feat. Weldon Irvine
3. Definition
4. Re:Definition
5. Children's Story
6. Brown Skin Lady
7. B Boys Will B Boys
8. K.O.S. (Determination) feat. Vinia Mojica
9. Hater Players feat. Apani B Fly Emcee
10. Yo Yeah
11. Respiration feat. Common
12. Thieves In The Night
13. Twice Inna Lifetime feat. Jane Doe, Punchline, Wordsworth
The album kicks off with a short introduction, then immediately segues into the jazzy, guitar-laden track, “Astronomy (8th Light)” . Here, Mos Def and Talib Kweli basically freestyle, but their raps still tell a great deal about their purpose as positive artists as well as lay out their intent for this album. Jazz musician Weldon Irvine contributes to this piece.
Track 3, “Definition” is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. Here Black Star takes the pounding beat from Boogie Down Productions’ “P is Still Free” and modifies the chorus from BDP’s “Stop the Violence” to create an original composition. It would be a crime for someone to not rip fiery lyrics over a classic BDP, and Mos and Kweli certainly deliver here.
On the next song, “Children’s Story”, Mos Def borrows the rhyme scheme and plot from Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”, and changes the lyrics to tell the story of a Puffy-like Hip Hop music producer who places achieving super-star status over making meaningful music. It’s great because Mos keeps the Ruler’s rhyme scheme and patterns in tact, yet Mos’ version tells a completely different story. It would have been cool if they could have used the beat from the original, but the version that Shawn J. Period comes up with is almost as good. He also takes the musical pattern to the original, but significantly changes the notes around (it’s almost like he makes a “counter-bassline” for the original) to make a totally different song.
To me, saying “Cash Money sucks” is the equivalent of saying, “the sun rises in the East”; it’s just something that’s accepted as fact. However, approach a fan of CM or one of the similarly talentless groups with that sentiment, and they’ll be quick to call you a “hater” (short for “player hater”), implying that you’re just jealous of their success. The term “playa hater” is just one of the many ways wack rap music gets a pass nowadays, because no one has the nerve to critique the mindless drivel of these candy-coated rappers for fear of being labeled a hater. Black Star addresses this epidemic on “Hater Players”, letting these groups know that the reason that some fans don’t like you is not because they’re jealous, it’s because they know that you just suck. The lyrics are backed with an extremely pronounced grinding bassline, and accompanied by a simple keyboard and synthesizer melody.
“Respiration” is one of the instant classics on this Black Star CD. Chicago rapper Common joins in to help Kwe and Mos rap about the city as a living, breathing organism. Using various metaphors and poetics, the three describe the moods, attitudes, and “character” of their respective urban environments. DJ Hi-Tek greatly helps the song feel more “alive” by adding a bassline with doubled bass pounds to represent a heartbeat, and rising and falling guitar chords to stand for the inhaling and exhaling of the city. When you hear this track, you’ll definitely be able to picture an animate, living metropolis.
My favorite track on the LP by far is song 12, “Thieves in the Night” . For the lyrics, Talib Kweli and Mos Def take a passage from Toni Morrison’s book The Bluest Eye and apply it to explore facets of modern African Americans’ perceptions and culture. 88 Keys perfectly compliments Black Star’s understated introspection with subtle but driving percussion and a haunting keyboard chords and harmonies. Over the music Kweli drops these lyrics:
"‘Give me the fortune, keep the fame,’ said my man Louis. I /
agreed, know what he mean because we live the truest lie /
I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye /
He looked at me, he thought about it, was like, ‘I'm clueless, why? /’
The question was rhetorical, the answer is horrible /
Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow /
And so tomorrow comin’ later than usual
Waitin' on someone to pity us /
While we find beauty in the hideous /
They say money's the root of all evil but I can't tell /
You know what I mean, pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills /
Or is it the mindstate that's ill? /
Creating crime rates to fill the new prisons they build /
Over money and religion there's more blood to spill /
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields that never heal /
What's the deal? /”
Mos Def and Talib Kweli return the Black Star CD back to pure emceeing with the last track, “Twice Inna Lifetime”. On Hi-Tek’s raw, gritty beat, underground emcees Jane Doe, Punchline, and Wordsworth kill the microphone with fiery, inspired freestyles. Absolutely an excellent way to end an extremely impressive CD.
Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star is without question a classic Hip Hop album. The duo consistently provides poetic, insightful lyrics, and with the help of DJ Hi-Tek, Shawn J. Period, and 88 Keys, the music is magnificent as well. With only 13 tracks it is a little short, but fans can always acquire Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s solo efforts if they need more of that Black Star vibe. I have no problem recommending this to any true rap music fan. Black Star keep shining.
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