25 years ago, Mos Def and Talib Kweli captured a majestic moment in Hip-hop. Right before the turn of the new millennium, the two storied emcees were putting the finishing touches on their respective solo albums. Rather than reaching for the glimmering spotlight of a solo release, their natural chemistry pulled them in a different direction. The result is one of the purest examples of Hip-hop ever released. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is an onslaught of vocal acrobatics and lyrical miracles over instrumentals that range from jazz to neck-breaking drum patterns. The 13 songs that landed on this LP represent an era of the genre where the music came before anything and everything and the youth of Hip-hop left the genre malleable and abstract. With a blank canvas, Kweli and Mos Def solidified their legacy at the beginning of their career with an undeniable LP that refuses to be lost in time.
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star was initially released on September 29, 1998, The iconic cover is now synonymous with the genre it would go on to define and cement a creative turning point for the genre. The pair of emcees worked with frequent Kweli collaborators Hi-Tek, J. Period, and 88-Keys to build the sonic wonderland of smooth instrumentals. Mos Def and Talib Kweli mixed the history of Hip-hop with their own vision of what the genre could become, and the two worlds colliding caused a ripple effect that can still be felt today.
Black Star’s self-titled debut set a new standard for New York Hip-hop. The genre had been incorporating the smooth syncopation of jazz for some time by 1998, but no one could rap like Mos Def and Talib Kweli. On the criminally smooth “K.O.S”, Kweli exclaims that “voices and drums” are the original instruments, a hint at how Black Star discovered their winning formula. The pair switches from melodic hooks to fiery verses lined with gritty realities and expert storytelling for a circus of Hip-hop prowess. The gentle melodies of songs like “Brown Skin Lady” are juxtaposed with the spastic drums and razor-tongued verses. Black Star transitions between these two worlds with ease, finding solace and consistency in the influence of jazzy Hip-hop and reconfiguring the blueprint of their unique brand of fusion.
After the last note on the album rings in your ear, everyone thought that was the end of Black Star. It wasn’t until last year that we got the long-awaited follow-up to the now iconic Black Star self-titled debut. Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Talib Kweli teamed up with the elusive yet prolific producer Madlib for No Fear of Time. The nine tracks featured carried the weight of their legacy with ease as the LP showcased two veteran emcees rapping like they have something to prove over angelic instrumentals from Madlib. The album was initially released on the podcast network Luminary but recently made its way to Bandcamp.
