Black Star, Mos Def, Talib Kweli - Black Star

Even in hip-hop--a genre famous for auspicious debuts--Black Star, the first album from the team of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, stands out. It's not just because these guys know their history (an update of Slick Rick's classic "Children's Story," a fine jack of BDP's "The P Is Free" on "Definition," and shout-outs to 2Pac, Biggie, and the Rock Steady Crew) and have paid their dues. Mos Def had been bouncing around the Native Tongues family for years, and both he and Kweli are featured on the Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge albums. No, Black Star stands out simply because it's a great album, an intelligent, progressive, and funky piece of work that showcases two great MCs, both of whom have internalized the best parts of Guru, Rakim, and Q-Tip. The album also features strong production from Shawn J. Period and DJ Hi-Tek (Kweli's partner in Reflection Eternal). --Randy Silver Amazon.com

AMAZING Hiphop album!

Ive been checking out lots of different hiphop/rap styles lately, and after previewing then buying this album, I have to say it's one of my favorites. The songs all are unique and I can listen to this so many times without getting bored of it! Mos(t) Def(inately) recommend this! August 27, 2008

enjoyable listen

this is another classic album that everyone should have in their collection. the lyrics and beats are off the chain. July 31, 2008

Maybe the best. Ever.

If the RZA had not come up with his new theories on the postmodern than this would be unquestionably the best hip hop album of all time. Don't get me wrong - it may be the best ever. But it also might not be. Feel me?
I have cried listening to "Respiration" and "Thieves in the Night." If there has ever been a greater expression of the urban experience, well... I must have missed it. And I haven't missed much in hip hop. Trust me, if you don't own this album, you are missing out on something special. This is not just one of the greatest albums to emerge from hip hop's (semi) underground. This isn't just one of the greatest albums in hip hop history. This is one of the greatest albums to be produced - by any artist in any genre - in the past thirty years. This is, to our culture, what Foucault was to the original wave of postmodern thinking... in other words, the expression of our selves in this evolving musical landscape would not be complete without this group or these words or the ideas that are expressed.
If all you see it crime in the city when you listen to hip hop, you need to breath this in and let your narrative grow to help explain this existence that we are all participating in. March 27, 2008

Any discussion of hip hop is incomplete without it

Using the term "authentic" can be dangerous in describing music, but for many, Mos Def and Talib Kweli embody the term.

Prophetic Hip Hop was born in Brooklyn, NY. In this seminal album, Def and Kweli push hip hop into a new domain: the very real expression of urban space found in Wu Tang Clan, and the consciousness of Public Enemy, combined with a skill for narration and ease with poetry produce an album that marks a paradigm shift in hip hop.

Both Def and Kweli are artists in the truest sense of the word. They look not to integrate into the corporate establishment for affirmation, but to feed the soul. January 25, 2008

good beats, lyrics as good as youd expect

i missed this when it came out originally, but recently it has really grown on me.

the beats are good, lyrics are as good as you would expect from guys like def and kweli. August 30, 2007

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