Black On Both Sides [PA] - Mos Def

...Talib Kweli teamed up for Black Star, a classic album which would smash all barriers of creativity and hip-hop musicianship. Soon it came time for Mos to drop knowledge on his own, and in 1999 finally released Black on Both Sides. Mos is one of the most talented emcees in the game when it comes to variety and creativity, and he was out to prove himself here.

"Hip Hop" is perfect. Diamond D's energetic and proud trumpets, precise ...
...atmosphere you got on the Black Star album; with relaxing production and fun, yet complex, lyricism. This song is chock-full of metaphors all leading to the main topic of Mos' true love for the hip-hop culture and music. The assortment of vivrant chords with the sing-songy vocals makes for some serious head-bobbing here. So This is so ill, you'll be bobbing your head quicker than porn stars on their knees.

"Ms Fat Booty" is ... more

As long as I can remember, Mos Def has been one of the most respectable, entertaining, and skilled emcees ever. In the early 90s, Mos began to make a name for himself due to the legendary Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge compilation albums; released by Rawkus Records. In 1998, Mos Def and Talib Kweli teamed up for Black Star, a classic album which would smash all barriers of creativity and hip-hop musicianship. Soon it came time for Mos to drop knowledge on his own, and in 1999 finally released Black on Both Sides. Mos is one of the most talented emcees in the game when it comes to variety and creativity, and he was out to prove himself here.

"Hip Hop" is perfect. Diamond D's energetic and proud trumpets, precise sampling, killer bass, and skillful scratching serenade the listener into complete awe, and Mos Def's breathtaking lyricism and vocals will take you into what I call "Hip Hop Bliss", and no that isn't a pun. One can literally take hours breaking down the hidden meanings and metaphors within this track; that is if you can stop your head from fucking bobbing after this absolutely pounding beat and the powerful delivery from Mos completely reel you in like bassmasters. Find me a better song than this and I'll kiss your asscrack.

As if the opening track doesn't say it enough: Mos Def truly loves hip-hop, and he shows it once again with the aptly titled "Love". Songs like this and several others on the album provide the same laid-back, smooth atmosphere you got on the Black Star album; with relaxing production and fun, yet complex, lyricism. This song is chock-full of metaphors all leading to the main topic of Mos' true love for the hip-hop culture and music. The assortment of vivrant chords with the sing-songy vocals makes for some serious head-bobbing here. So This is so ill, you'll be bobbing your head quicker than porn stars on their knees.

"Ms Fat Booty" is a song that gets unfairly shitted on by ignorant people. This song is ill folks, get over it. Mos Def bridges the gap between a rugged underground hip-hop sound and radio appeal here, with an extremely fun beat and an often-used topic twisted up. An Aretha Franklin looped sample backed by bass-heavy instrumentation set the tone that anybody from a rugged head in the streets to the club bangers can chill to. Mos, as usual, is as potent as ever, but it's the content that really distinguishes it from anything else. What begins as a simple romance story becomes much more with a twist ending that I'm sure most people will chuckle at. Diagnosis: Excellent.

Mos Def's first time touching some sort of consciousness comes in the form of "Got", which finds the Brooklyn native touching various topics revolving around hip-hop's principles, with Mos raping the commercial rap artists who sell their souls for a dollar bill. Yeah, the subject matter is far from new, but when the lyrics are this well-written and the beat is so rugged, you can't help but love it. Not to mention that more often than not, Mos throws in a couple lines of street poetry to balance the equation: "Mr. Fash-ion, that style never last long, The harder you flash, the harder you get flashed on, There's hunger in the street that is hard to defeat, Many steal for sport, but more steal to eat". Did I mention how sick the beat is? Listen to it just for that if you can.

One thing I haven't been able to understand is why so many people hated on The New Danger because of Mos singing. It's becoming more than obvious that these people didn't even pay attention to Black on Both Sides. News Flash: Mos sings on here too. "Umi Says" has no rapping on it whatsoever, but rather is a soul-influenced R&B banger with Mos displaying his vast array of talents and vocal range. The song sort of feels like it's spoken word, but with an extremely catchy hook and production which sizzles. Xylophones (an instrument often used by Mos) and soft guitar plucks provide an aquatic feel for the track, and Mos' vocals fine-tune it into excellence.

"New World Water" is probably one of the most unusual tracks I've ever heard when it comes to hip-hop. Granted we've listened to just about every single type of street poetry and consciousness existent, this song changes all of that. "New World Water" is Mos' cautionary tale about avoiding water pollution before we're poisoned. Could this be a metaphor? Possibly the song is about how commercial rap poisons the minds of the youths? Possibly it's about the government's grip on everything including H2O......... nah. The xylophone melody and old-school drum loop is effective here, and Mos' relentless, seemingly breathless rhymes are not only impressive vocally, but replayable because of the sheer poeticism within. Classic here.

The other half of Black Star, Talib Kweli, makes a special guest spot on "Know That", and as expected from this twosome; it's nothing short of magic. Remember, this is Kweli before he was watered down. Mos and Kweli are absolutely vivrant and have retained the same chemistry exhibited on those prior classics. This song right here is pure hip-hop flavor, the complete opposite of the soulful sung tracks like "Climb" and "Rock N Roll". What do they have similar: they're all great pieces.

With the same light-hearted spirit as "Hip-Hop", "Brooklyn" succeeds in being one of the best hip-hop cuts ever crafted. Borrowing from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Under the Bridge" and with those great xylophones we all know and love, Mos Def describes life in the boroughs of Brooklyn. He admits it's rugged, but can't help but love his native kingdom. How many emcees have you heard speak highly of their home? Thousands. However, few have the class and confidence that Mos exhibits here, backed by soulful pieces finishing with using Biggie's legendary "Who Shot Ya" beat, this song provides hip-hop bliss. "Habitat" continues the Brooklyn love with another absolute banger. However unlike "Brooklyn", "Habitat" is a beautiful blend of singing and rapping.

Afterwards, Mos attacks racial consciousness on songs like the Q-Tip guesting "Mr. Nigga" and the epic "Mathematics". "Mr. Nigga" seemed like more of a light-hearted approach to the situation, with Mos Def attacking the stereotypes in a humorous tone yet with an underlining message. Contrary to that, "Mathematics" is hardcore and serious at what it does. The production, like the lyrics, are absolutely relentless. With the legendary DJ Premier lacing the bouncy, flawless production (like all of the Primo cuts), there is no better atmosphere for Mos to spill his ink from pen to ear. The hip-hop/jazz fusion that has seemingly been the focal point of the musicianship of the album is diced up here in favor of classic, rugged hip-hop production. It doesn't get much better than this.

Black on Both Sides is an album that all music lovers should be googling over, not just the hip-hop community. It's assortment of R&B laced tracks, damn-near God-like lyricism, passionate subject matter, and brilliant musicianship is enough to draw anybody in, and that's without mentioning Mos Def's ability to not only rip a microphone apart, but smash it, throw a brick on it, eat it, shit it out, attach C4 to it and throw it into a volcano. This album is an example of how to make good MUSIC, hip-hop or not. Mos Def's emceeing ability should never, ever be questioned by anybody, and neither should his ability to make a masterpiece like this. If you don't have a copy of this, go out and steal one, or else I will personally leave you black on both sides...  

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