The Ecstatic

I bought Mos Def's latest album yesterday and I must say, it certainly was worth my money! It's good to hear the Universal Magnetic back on his poetic game! This is a great album, of course not as good as "Black on Both Sides", but possibly his strongest since then. The album features appearances from Talib Kweli, Slick Rick (YES!), and Georgia Anne Muldrow and features production from Chad Hugo, J Dilla, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Madlib, Oh No, and some others...yeah, that's an impressive tracklist!

I was a little bummed that the Oh No/Madlib beats were just beats from their own respective beat albums ("Dr. No's Oxperiment" and "Beat Konducta in India") but Mos certainly added fire to the already fire beats. It just would've been better if the beats were actually made for Mos Def...you know? Finally, the world gets a glimpse into Chad Hugo's solo hip-hop production, which is awesome! The villainous horns on "Twilight Speedball" definitely show (even more) how Chad's production can range! Georgia Anne Muldrow's "Roses" (which will actually be featured on her debut album as well, minus Mos Def) is amazing as well (don't sleep on her music)! And of course, the Dilla-produced "History" featuring Talib Kweli should hold us Black Star enthusiasts over for a little longer until the reunion...

By the way, the Slick Rick cameo on "Auditorium" is incredible! I can't believe I forgot that Slick Rick is the MASTER of storytelling! No one does it better!

Support real music! Go guy this album, it's worth it! I have "Twilight Speedball", "Casa Bey", "Roses", "Auditorium" and "History" on repeat, but the whole album is a thorough listen! Here's a video of Mos Def (with assistance from the Roots) performing "Casa Bey" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! BOOGIE MAN!

Mos Def with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon from Pop Along Kids on Vimeo.