In November of 2011, I
saw Mos Def and Talib Kweli perform as Black Star at the Roseland Theater in
Portland, Oregon. The opening act, Shabazz Palaces, made an already impressive
event feel even more remarkable. By the time I attended that concert, I had
been following Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s solo careers for years, but I first
became acquainted with each of them through their breakout 1998 album, Mos
Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. That performance blossomed into a
celebration of the bond between these two artists and highlighted the chemistry
they share. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star prevails as an
introduction to two exceptional talents in which they bring out the best in
each other, a bold statement of purpose that influenced the course of its
genre, and easily one of the greatest hip-hop albums of the last twenty years.
Mos Def & Talib
Kweli are Black Star moves with such an
effortless flow over its fifty minute running time that it’s easy to forget how
much it accomplishes in terms of expressing values, meaningful ideas, and
artistic integrity. For as thoughtful and relevant as Black Star can be,
the joy shared between these artists offsets any burden of seriousness that
could weigh down the proceedings. Both Mos Def and Kweli possess lyrically
dense, idiosyncratic, and inventive vocal styles, but a major part of the
success of this album stems from their ability to draw off of each other’s
stylistic strengths while establishing their respective individual voices as
rappers. Running back-to-back in the first half of the album, the tone-setting
one-two punch of “Definition” and “RE: DEFinition” establish Mos Def’s melodic,
humorous, and elastic wordplay as well as Kweli’s rhythmic, cerebral, and
urgent verbalism. Opening with a revealing and amusing clip of dialogue from
the film Chameleon Street, “Brown Skin Lady” tilts into a bass heavy
groove as Mos Def and Kweli extol the natural beauty of women of color. The
song’s loose energy and warm mood make it the album’s most appealing track
while its positive, respectful message stands in stark contrast to the misogyny
and objectification of women especially prevalent to mainstream hip-hop of the
era. Layering an excerpt from the 1983 hip-hop documentary Style Wars
with a repeating loop of a woman whispering “escúchela, la ciudad respirando,”
“Respiration” begins as a sound collage and places the listener at the heart of
a bustling urban setting. Mos Def, Kweli, and guest vocalist Common soon
populate this environment and begin trading vivid, overlapping tales of life in
the city and pull off the album’s most ambitious moment. Being the product of a
rich and fruitful partnership, Black Star holds up to frequent and
repeated listening and has matured incredibly well for a hip-hop album from the
late 1990s.
success of this album stems from their ability to draw off of each other’s
stylistic strengths while establishing their respective individual voices as
rappers. Running back-to-back in the first half of the album, the tone-setting
one-two punch of “Definition” and “RE: DEFinition” establish Mos Def’s melodic,
humorous, and elastic wordplay as well as Kweli’s rhythmic, cerebral, and
urgent verbalism. Opening with a revealing and amusing clip of dialogue from
the film Chameleon Street, “Brown Skin Lady” tilts into a bass heavy
groove as Mos Def and Kweli extol the natural beauty of women of color. The
song’s loose energy and warm mood make it the album’s most appealing track
while its positive, respectful message stands in stark contrast to the misogyny
and objectification of women especially prevalent to mainstream hip-hop of the
era. Layering an excerpt from the 1983 hip-hop documentary Style Wars
with a repeating loop of a woman whispering “escúchela, la ciudad respirando,”
“Respiration” begins as a sound collage and places the listener at the heart of
a bustling urban setting. Mos Def, Kweli, and guest vocalist Common soon
populate this environment and begin trading vivid, overlapping tales of life in
the city and pull off the album’s most ambitious moment. Being the product of a
rich and fruitful partnership, Black Star holds up to frequent and
repeated listening and has matured incredibly well for a hip-hop album from the
late 1990s.
Although Mos Def and
Talib Kweli have collaborated on individual songs and performed on stage
together over the last nineteen years, they have recorded only one album as
Black Star. Within a few years of Black Star’s release, Mos Def and
Talib Kweli appeared as guests on one another’s early albums. Kweli adds a
playful, yet compelling dynamic to the maximalist jam “Know That” from Mos
Def’s excellent solo debut, Black on Both Sides. Mos Def plays an
empathetic, supporting role on “Joy,” Kweli’s ode to the challenges and rewards
of parenthood from his first-rate sophomore album, Quality. Of these
later collaborations, the song that best recaptures the magic of Mos Def
& Talib Kweli are Black Star appears on Mos Def’s crucial 2011 album,
The Ecstatic. “History” features a J Dilla production and flies by in just
under two and a half minutes as Mos Def and Kweli hold forth on their personal,
professional, and shared histories.
-
John
Parsell
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