![]() ![]() For an artist whose stage moniker literally translates as "the highest certainty," Mos Def's newest release carries the unfortunate weight of indecisiveness. This statement, made by Dante Mos Def Smith (a.k.a. ![]() People talk about hip-hop like it's some giant living in the hillside, coming down to visit the townspeople. These, however, are the lone highlights of this otherwise disappointing release. Happy 20th Anniversary to Mos Def’s debut solo album Black On Both Sides, originally released October 12, 1999. Here, Mos tantalizes us with a glimpse of his past ebullience as he hums: "Lay back and relax your mind/ About to double the dosage in the half-time/ Master physical mastermind." Likewise, "The Panties" and "Modern Marvel" revel in the sleepy genius of "Umi Says" and deliver their respective messages of love and sadness with quiet, erupting impact. It's unfortunate that a phenom like "Sex, Love & Money"- with its fat Dick Tracy horns, whimpering jungle flute, and marching band percussion- is lost in the melee. "Life Is Real", for example, finds a terminal case of logorrhea infecting an uncharacteristically awful Mos verse: "My whole life is ill/ My whole life is real/ Mornings, noons, nights/ Birthdays, work days, holidays, funerals." What's more, Know's material fails to connect thematically or musically to the rest of the album, causing an unfortunate fit of dysrhythmia. Buy mp3 Black On Both Sides album of Mos Def. On the record's rock-tinged tracks, Know's overpowering licks seem to render a stop payment on Mos' creativity. "War" regurgitates a similar tune, adding a fairly benign critique of its titular subject, depressingly offering the impression that Mos believes a loud message makes an acceptable substitute for a thoughtful one. Suffice to say, Mos' cry, "We show you how to really make a moshpit bounce" is unconvincing at best. Album: Black on Both SidesArtist: Mos DefYear: 1999©: Rawkus/ColumbiaCheck out my channel for future releases.Timestamps:1. Mos Def: Hip Hop - Black On Both Sides dokisaque34 4.91K subscribers Subscribe 4. After exactly five years of waiting for the follow-up to 1999s magnificent Black on Both Sides, Mos Def opens by rehashing the final minutes of 'Rock n Roll' with the less-than-subtle. Yet both "Freaky Black Greetings" and "Zimzallabim" borrow heavily from the Chocolate Starfish playbook. Yasiin Bey's (fka Mos Def) 'Black On Both Sides' just turned 20, so I had to put out this mixtape in tribute to one of the most influential albums in my life. Granted, more African-American creative input in modern rock would be a wonderful thing- and Mos' attempt is laudable- but as he says, "I ain't try to fuck with Limp Bizkit," suggesting that rap and rock are two very different beasts whose collusion could be disastrous. Curiously, despite Mos' on-the-mark vocalizing about the neglected acknowledgment of the Afro-American influence on rock, he chose the arguably least "black" form to express himself.
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