Black Star

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Essential Albums

  • Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
    Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
    Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

    When Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star dropped in 1998, it was more than a great album—it was a statement of defiance. Some hip-hop fans felt that commercialism was steering the genre in a violent, hedonistic direction, and Black Star were proof that there were still artists who could provide thoughtful, empowering lyricism. Each of the two Brooklynites had spent the mid-1990s working their way through the hip-hop hierarchy: Mos had been part of a trio named Urban Thermo Dynamics, and had landed collabs with the likes of De La Soul and Da Bush Babees; Kweli, meanwhile, had worked with such midwestern acts as Mood, as well as his eventual Reflection Eternal groupmate Hi-Tek. Black Star formed when the duo began attending poetry open mics, where they admired each others’ styles. Even back then, Mos Def used an exultant, spacious delivery that utilised melody and patios, while Kweli flexed a verbose, syllable-cramming flow—contrasting sides of the same urgency. The group took its name from the Black Star Line, a shipping line organised by Pan-African activist Marcus Garvey. Mos Def and Talib Kweli had similar goals with their Rawkus Records debut, which presented hip-hop as a vehicle for Black liberation. The recent shooting deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac had left a dark cloud, and Black Star created music for Black people to value each other. “K.O.S. (Determination)” emphasises self-love, and “Brown Skin Lady” still resonates as one of hip-hop’s most sincere, affectionate odes to Black women by Black men. The album also offers commentary on hip-hop itself: “B Boys Will B Boys” harkens back to the culture’s formative years with its shout-outs to dance crews, while “Children’s Story” emulates a Slick Rick classic with a tale about a rapper whose lust for money leads to his demise. The pro-Black messaging is further permeated through samples of Black poets and films, and warm, soulful production (Hi-Tek handles six of the album’s 13 tracks). But don’t mistake this for a classroom on wax. The album’s final three cuts—"Respiration”, “Thieves in the Night” and “Twice Inna Lifetime”—are packed with some of the most dense and attentive lyricism you’ll ever find. Black Star wouldn’t release a follow-up until 20-plus years later, but between their solo careers, their conscious rap disciples and future releases on Rawkus, the group’s 1998 album was more than enough.

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About Black Star

Few rap duos are as revered as Black Star, the short-lived union of Mos Def (now Yasiin Bey) and Talib Kweli. The Brooklynites bridged the gap between the conscious rap of their Native Tongues predecessors and the battle-ready bars of their late ’90s peers in New York’s sprawling underground rap scene, spitting rhymes full of inventive wordplay alongside celebrations of Black culture and critical examinations of social issues over modern, jazz-rooted boom bap. Raised in neighboring Brooklyn boroughs, they sharpened their skills in competitive open mics and park cyphers before signing with underground champions Rawkus Records for 1998’s Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. With songs like the party-rocking “Definition”, the tender ode “Brown Skin Lady” and the brilliant reimagining of Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”, the retro-leaning debut proved people wanted an intellectual alternative to the flashy commercial hip-hop then ruling the radio. After releasing one record, the pair parted ways for successful solo careers both in and outside of music—Yasiin Bey as an actor and Kweli as a talk show host. However, in 2022, the duo surprised fans when they announced a sophomore album, No Fear of Time, planned for release later that year.

ORIGIN
Brooklyn, NY, United States
FORMED
1997
GENRE
Hip-Hop/Rap

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