Mos Def: Black on Both Sides

Ever since his guest spots with Da Bush Babees in 1996, Mos Def has always been a lyrical force to reckon with. He has been deemed the idealistic emcee and many even claim him to be one of, if not the greatest to ever touch the microphone. Despite his below average and very rushed albums: The New Danger and Tru3 Magic the Mighty Mos Def has dropped two undisputed classics. The first being alongside Talib Kweli to form Black Star, a collaborative effort that had the two artist sharing the spotlight to drop one of the most insightful albums on politics, Brooklyn, women, and pro-blackness. Of course, Talib went on to do Reflection Eternal with DJ Hi Tek, but Mos Def went on to create without a doubt, one of the best albums in the last 15 years.

Many claim Black on Both Sides to be this generation’s Illmatic and while this statement is bold, it certainly has merit. Mos Def has all the skills an emcee needs to have and uses them to perfection. This album exemplifies his writing, his flow, his schemes, his concepts, his topics, his ear for beats, and his intellect. It should also be noted that the multi-talented Def also played many of the instruments featured on tracks and co-produced a handful. The album has little to no flaws, a variety of producers, and multiple relevant topics that Mos Def can eat for breakfast.

There are two guest spots on the album; Busta Rhymes on “Do It Now” and Talib on “Know That.” The former is a high energy track that has Rhymes Galore going full throttle and rubs off on Mos Def who matches Busta’s energy (yeah, I know eh?). It really does push the listener to act fast. The Black Star reunion is possibly one of the best tracks on the album because of the beautiful Dionne Warwick sample (courtesy of Ayatollah) and the back and forth between two dope emcees. The chemistry is perfect and manages to be mellow while staying vigorous, dark, and enlightening all at once. “Love” is a beautiful rendition of Mos’ feelings to the apple of his eye; hip hop. From the apple of the eye to apple bottoms, “Ms. Fat Booty” is a unique twist on the boy meets girl with big butt story because of how Mos unfolds the scenario. The beat and hook are perfectly molded in to the scene by Ayatollah.

“Hip Hop” is another candidate for top track honours because the track literally is hip hop in its purist form. It is three minutes of unbelievable emceeing with a great beat provided by the legendary Diamond D. The Native Tongue crew lends a helping hand with the Ali Shaheed produced “Got” which has Mos warns about bringing attention to oneself because, well, you’ll get ‘got’. Furthermore, the Q-Tip assisted “Mr. Nigga” is an updated version of the Tribe Called Quest classic “Sucka Nigga” with many clever inserts from all angles regarding a black man’s place and status in society.

As the avid DJ Premier fan I am, you knew this was coming: “Mathematics”

Yo, it’s one universal law but two sides to every story
Three strikes and you be in for life, manditory
Four MC’s murdered in the last four years
I ain’t tryin to be the fifth one, the millenium is here
Yo it’s 6 Million Ways to Die, from the seven deadly thrills
Eight-year olds gettin found with 9 mill’s
It’s 10 P.M., where your seeds at? What’s the deal
He on the hill puffin krill to keep they belly filled
Light in the ass with heavy steel, sights on the pretty shit in life
Young soldiers tryin to earn they next stripe
When the average minimum wage is $5.15
You best believe you gotta find a new ground to get cream
The white unemployment rate, is nearly more than triple for black
so frontliners got they gun in your back

No words can justify what leaks out of this song. I mentioned intelligence, flow, concept, delivery; all these elements of emceeing are at their prime on this track. The beat is so unique; the track is mind-boggling and perfect. This will essentially be one of the greatest hip hop songs you will ever hear.

In closing, to compare this album to Illmatic would be unfair. And while I think this album is near perfect at times, I still do think it has flaws, something that I don’t think Illmatic had. Production at times proved to be a little cheesy, for lack of a better word. “Habitat,” and “Rock’n'Roll” in particular attribute to that point. Also, “Fear Not of Man” aches to be rapped on, but it is more or less a tease. A song like “Climb” might zone you out, but Mos Def isn’t shy about sharing his singing voice. Nevertheless, Mos is like that really cool professor you had in college or university because he is so knowledgeable, so down to earth, so for the people, and so accurate. Hearing all of his lessons on this disc really is the best lecture in Hop Hop 101 you might have for years to come.

Overall Score: 91/100

Standout Tracks:

“Mathematics”

“Know That”

“Hip Hop”