Black on Both Sides [PA] by Mos Def

Pros: intelligence and talent
Cons: all over the place

I recently had a conversation with a woman about a truck. I was visiting friends in a neighboring town, one that differs significantly from my town in racial attitude and make-up. Most of the town was marked by affluent suburbia cleverly masking an ...

Pros: Great CD, lots of big names, smooth beats, unique rhymes
Cons: None that stand out to me

Mos Def has combined with many prominent names in his CD Black On Both Sides. This CD truly lets this outspoken, unique, intelligent artist use his talents to their full capabilities. With every song comes a message, weather it shows his outspokenness, ...

Pros: An energetic and musical piece of Hip-Hop excellence; near-flawless
Cons: Those couple minor flaws...

Version 2.0 Return of the Classics Chapter 5: A Musical Masterpiece of Entertainment, Fun, and Intellect by one of the best lyricists known to man. "Blastin Holes in the Night Til It Bled Sunshine..." As long as I can ...

Pros: Excellent lyrics, production, guest appearances. Creative effort.
Cons: No consistent “sound”.

In my opinion, there are only really a handful of artists that really epitomize Hip Hop. Those who have read some of my other reviews probably know that KRS-One is my favorite, but a younger artist that continues to impress me is talented Brooklyn emcee...

Pros: He can rap. He can (sorta) sing. He has good producers, samples, and words.
Cons: Reverse the situation for a second and imagine a white artist peddling these messages.

For my next act, I’ll be quasi-trashing Mos Def’s Black On Both Sides. It’s a shame I have to be so critical, since it’s one of the more interesting hip-hop albums I’ve listened to, at least from a musical standpoint. It’s ...

Pros: Perfect production, Superb Lyricism, Great Guests and underground
Cons: Ermmm...Oh wait I've got one. Oh wait I don't..

Since the days of Black Star and The Lyricist Lounge, mighty Mos Def has been in a league of his own. He’s one of those emcee’s, unlike the Ras Kass’ or the Nas’ that has always been consistent. I think ...

Pros: Lyrically superior. Hip-hop/Jazz production combo works extremely well. An example of true hip-hop.
Cons: errrrrmmm.......

Mos Def is one of a trio of leading literate rappers (along with Common and Talib Kweli), While there are others like KRS-ONE etc, these three are all inter-linked, as they all guest on the same albums, and they are all in the same...

Pros: Very literate, moral intentions clear,
Cons: Some may not go for its rugged musical landscape.

Mos Def is of a school of underground Rappers such as Jurassic 5, De La Soul, the Roots, J-Live and his old Blackstar bandmate, Talib Kweli. All of whom are marking Rap's departure from thuggery and negative themes. There is certainly no BS to this...

Pros: Great Jazz instrumentations, the overall Hip-Hop sound, socially conscious lyrics, few guest spots, production.
Cons: None.

After Mos Def and Talib Kweli's extremely good debut group album Black Star, they released solo album shortly after. While I had picked up Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's Reflection Eternal first, I soon realized what I was in store...

Pros: Intelligent, Beautifully-crafted, Eclectic Hip-Hop
Cons: NO NO NO!

Rawkus Records was a shining light for pure Hip-Hop in the late-nineties. Amongst the abyss ...

Pros: This whole album is one big Pro!
Cons: Very few - a little too obscure at some points for it's own good?

Rawkus records is failing. By now, most people have realised this. This is unfortunate, as they’ve consistently put out hit after hit, and are filled to the brim with quality artists like Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monche, DJ Hi Tek and, the subject at...

Pros: Lyrically superior, good production, few guests, no skits.
Cons: A couple tracks drag.

There was a time, long gone now, when hip-hop wasn't about selling records. It wasn't about how many women the artists had slept with, how many guns he owned, how many people he'd killed, or how much money he had. It was about delivering positive...

Pros: Genius, exceptional lyrics, great production, various styles
Cons: Some may not like transition to different styles

And then there was Brooklyn's own Mos Def, son of De La Soul (before there was Black Eyed Peas, a really poor imitation of the eclectic hip hop group)...In the game for more than 10 years by now, this is his genius disc from 1999. I have to admit I've ...

Pros: great production, lyrics, rhymes, all aspect of this album rock
Cons: (none, seriously)

Well, I finally got around to buying Mos Def’s solo album Black On Both Sides. I really enjoyed Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Blackstar so I figured that Mos would be able to hold it down on his own without his partner Talib Kweli. Black...

Pros: Great lyrics. Different types of music - not just rap
Cons: Musical diversity doesn't fit into different occasions.

"Speach is my hammer;
bang the world into shape
and let it fall."

~ Mos Def in "Hip Hop"


It is always a blessing to experience music from truly talented people. Mos Def's "Black on Both Sides" is just an...