This was Yassin Bey flowing and riffing over the beats that he loved as if he was simply dancing around his living room and we just happened to catch a glimpse through the window.Īnd he said as much during the show too, with comments like, "I'm glad y'all are here, but this is a moment between me and God," and "I think only musicians can truly appreciate music the way I'm feeling this right now." I never wanted him to stop.Ī show for the hip hop beat purists, Madlib maniacs and Dilla disciples, this was NOT a Mos Def concert, much to the chagrin of a few confused fans around me. Around the end of the show he danced for five minutes and I was dancing with him because I felt that energy. I had my hands up in the air the entire time!!! An hour in, this dude was still dancing and rapping like crazy. He was feeling the music and that made me feel the music when I was watching him. I never got that about him until I saw him speak with such truth and vitality. That's the best reason to go see him live. He raps because he loves it and because he believes in the power of lyricism. He's not one of those wack rappers who raps to makes money. It was just crazy how his innate sense of beat and lyric. It was crazy just to see him drop those sick lyrics, then transition into a new beat. One point during the night, he stopped the beat and started spitting Biggie's "It Was All A Dream" with the audience. He's a humble man who loves rapping and loves rocking to beat. I've always loved Mos Def, but there was something so alive about his performance. The background was black almost like we were in a big black box theater, and he just stood there, walked from right to left of the stage and rapped. He came out wearing completely unassuming clothes: white shirt, white pants, a gray jacket and a red cap. I saw him live August 2012, will never forget nor regret that experience. It's just him on the stage rocking the mic, spitting lyrics ferociously. Mos Def doesn't rely on antics or lame gimmicks for his musical performances. If you're looking for a spiritual experience, you need to see this MC in person. Mos Def is one of the most lyrically talented MC's of this generation. Most recently he starred in a short film showing the methods of force feeding used in Guantanamo Bay and like everything Mos has been involved in it was moving and high quality work. Topping off his role as Brooklyn’s true Renaissance man he is also involved in political activism. Whilst many have never tried much more than playing lazy cartoon versions of themselves (we all enjoyed Get Rich Or Die trying though), Mos has appeared in everything from films like ‘The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’ to what many considered an Emmy worthy appearance in TV’s House. Mos has also one of many rappers to try it out in the acting world, however it’s pretty easy to state the case that no one has done it as well as Mos. Even when he himself is not present though, his influence remains in rappers like Jay Electronica and Lupe Fiasco. Recently he has only been seen musically on guest features and collaborations be it as part of Kanye West’s GOOD Friday or with The Robert Glasper Experiment. He followed this up by launching his solo career with debut album ‘Black On Both Sides’ and many more after, always praised for his jazzy, melodic style and complex and insightful lyricism. He came onto the scene as part of Black Star and their 1998 album, a collaboration with Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli is now considered an underground classic.
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