Mos Def - Black on Both Sides

Released: October 12, 1999

Mos Def [now known as Yasiin Bey], had his career jumpstarted when he collaborated with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, but got his big break through Black Star, a duo with Talib Kweli (signed to Rawkus Records); with songs like "Respiration", "Brown Skin Lady" and "Definition". Since then, he has been known as the stronger half of the duo, and the most successful. 

After releasing and promoting the duo's only collaborative album, Def finally continued working on his album, along with collaborations with artists such as N'Dea Davenport, DJ Honda and The High & Mighty. This was then followed by the single "Ms. Fat Booty/Mathematics", which was an a/b-side single. Then came the final product...

Black on Both Sides was the final product. The anticipated solo debut, released on Rawkus, just before the 21st century. The album was recorded prior to the Black Star sessions and after a few years of just being a guest or a member of a duo, this was the album where Mos could do whatever he wanted and just rap. Highly regarded as a classic and Mos' best work [yet], the album featured a mix of his conscious self, the underground side and the mainstream side. His singing is portrayed a lot more on here than the Black Star album [especially in Umi Says], and the album had production from producers like 88-Keys, Ayatollah, and DJ Premier; along with features from Vinia Mojica, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and of course, Talib Kweli.

The album went on to sell a lot to even be certified gold, and Mos began to gain a lot more popularity. As I said before, he would go on to be an actor, but his fans would be disappointed with his later albums (well, apart from The Ecstatic), and would slip away from him.

Too bad people call this his "only good album". Oh well...

1. Fear Not Of Man

Mos produces the intro, which is not bad production-wise. As a matter of fact, the beat is great and really funky. He does a lot of talking, only to spit a few bars just before the end. Could've been better if Mos rapped more in the track. But, the ending rap was still nice.

2. Hip-Hop

Nice, a song dedicated to the genre and culture of Hip-Hop. Yup, I just basically described the concept for you. And this song bangs real hard! With Diamond D on the beat, this is really great!

3. Love

I "Love" this song. A really good song with a "love"ly beat. You see what I did there, huh? Anyway, this song is really nice, and the concept of loving hip-hop so much is really appealing to me. Mos' melodies are portrayed heavily and it's really good how he just does his melodies. I just love this song, and the beat is epic. One of my favourites.

4. Ms. Fat Booty

Of course, this song aka Mos' best song... well, one of his best. Ayatollah's banging beat and the Aretha sample, and the plot of falling in love with a girl. Obviously, this song would go down in history as a classic song, and Mos would go to make a sequel, but unfortunately, that didn't go well. Nevertheless, this song is an instant classic.

5. Speed Law

This reminds me of Havoc's early production, and that's a good thing, because it adds a dark vibe, with Mos' lyrical content. It kinda goes a little dull, but the lyrical performance, Mos nails it!

6. Do It Now (feat. Busta Rhymes)

The first collab on this album, and Mos & Busta go back-and-forth on a banging beat. And as usual, Busta murks this song. But for a banging song where they go back and forth, it sounds like something on a mixtape. Not that it doesn't suit the album, but it'd go better on a mixtape or at least a compilation album. But overall, this song rocks.

7. Got

The first thought that came into my mind when hearing this was that it sounded like a Tribe leftover. But then again, it was produced by Ali Shaheed Muhammed, who was a Tribe member. Anyway, Mos talks about getting got, meaning getting caught, shot and killed, etc. I love the vibe, and the electro-synth samples used here. I like this song, very decent!

8. Umi Says

The song, where Mos shows off his singing and melodies the most on the album. And he's really great with it. It's actually awesome how he managed to even record an all-singing track, especially when rappers back then wouldn't even dare to even record a singing track (singing rappers have increased a little with Phonte & Drake around), unless it was an interlude where they were playing around. One of the highlights I caught on this song was the lyric, "I want black people to be free", which is a really great and inspirational lyric, especially when you think about the racial killing that was going on, and what's happening in Ferguson. Mos even has the chance to interpolate Talib's line in "Astronomy (8th Light)" [on the Black Star album]. But yeah, this is beyond awesome.

9. New World Water

Mos metaphorically makes a song about water, bringing up politics and society. Seriously, I never thought a song about water, out of all things can be very interesting. And the beat is very hot. A really decent song.

10. Rock N Roll

As the title fully suggests, Mos talks about Rock & Roll, and how whites have approached black music. This is pretty much the original version of J Cole's Fire Squad (and everybody knows what that was about), and like "Umi Says", it's an all-singing track. Saying "Elvis Presley ain't got no soul" was a bit offensive, but I get the point since it's about how whites get credit for their music blacks create (just like Eminem getting more credit than a lot of other black rappers). The beat switch up is alright, and I get the point, but the ending switch up just sounds more like punk rock than Rock & Roll, to be honest. Still, a decent song.

11. Know That (feat. Talib Kweli)

There was two main reasons people went out to buy or listen to this. One reason can be because at the time, people wanted to hear a lot of Mos and the other reason: A Talib Kweli feature, which is now finally here. "Know That" can be seen as my favourite Mos/Kweli collab ever, with Ayatollah's banging beat, and the delivery from the two. Ever since this & the Black Star album, many people are excited whenever they pick up a solo project from both Mos & Kweli. This song rocks, 100% fire!

12. Climb (feat. Vinia Mojica)

The rapper/singer collab which is common around these type of projects. A lot of people may hate this, mainly because rapper/female singer collabs are annoying and frequently disliked by rap junkies. The thing is Mos sings with Vinia Mojica, instead of rapping most of the time. It's an alright song, but Vinia has contributed on better things than this, including De La Soul's "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'" and A Tribe Called Quest's "Verses from the Abstract".

13. Brooklyn

A pure gem on this album. Mos raps on 3 instrumentals in 5 minutes. I like the 1st beat, mainly because it's the one where he suits on the most. Imagine if this was the primary beat, instead of using 2 other instrumentals. The second beat is decent, and sounds like a soundtrack to a classic TV show, or at least a movie. The beat samples "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby", which would be later interpolated by Kendrick Lamar in "good kid". And the 3rd one is the classic "Who Shot Ya?" instrumental, heavily jumped on by your favourite rapper. If Mos is your favourite, then... yeah. Mos did a solid job on the instrumental, but many people obviously did better than him on that beat. As I said in the beginning, this is a pure gem.

14. Habitat

Pretty much the weakest track on the album. His delivery and bars were nice, but this didn't do much for me, and is very forgettable.

15. Mr. Nigga (feat. Q-Tip)

Q-Tip comes on the track, but his presence isn't that memorable. This song is really good, but I was expecting Tip to do a verse on this song. But no, he only sang the hook with Mos. The beat is nice and the song is very decent. I like how the interpolate Tip's solo on Midnight Marauders, "Sucka N****", because it makes the hook really catchy.

16. Mathematics

As you have seen from all the tracks on this album, Mos isn't really the type to rap on banging and hardcore beats all the time, so with this, you would've thought Mos wouldn't have suit a DJ Premier beat. Well, YOU THOUGHT WRONG!!! This song rocks, and is one of my favourite songs from Mos. Damn! And apparently, this is one of Premo's favourite beats (and although he has produced better than this, I can see why). Mos goes hard on this, and the beat bangs out heavy. One of Mos' best songs ever.

17. May-December

A nice ending, with a funky and lovely instrumental. Oh well, now it's over.

Black on Both Sides is a really excellent album from one of my Top 10 favourite lyricists. Mos does his thing and shows a stronger side of himself with this album. Without so many people, Mos sure knows how to lead an solo album. With songs like "Brooklyn", "Mathematics" and "Love", making him become a legend, with a few songs holding him down, this is great. The beats are hot, especially the funky "Love" and "Mr. N****", being very tolerable ones. Ayatollah brings his A-game to the album, and Premo bangs out with "Mathematics". Mos' rhymes are awesome and the topics he raps about are interesting. He even manages to do a lot of singing and melodies. As I said before, unless you were playing around or it was just for the hook, back in the day, one rapper wouldn't really simply sing really well.

Appearances, sweet and not a whole lot of features. Mos & Busta going back-and-forth on "Do It Now", Talib coming on their best collab, "Know That", and The Abstract on "Mr. N****" although I thought that he should've played a better part in that song. I mean, when the album first came out, who was actually that eager to hear Tip on a verse? 

But, I'm not saying Black on Both Sides is very flawless. Every good album has at least 1 or 2 flaws, even a classic has a flaw. With every flaw on a great rap album, there's an awful mixtape likely to have a minimum of 2 or 3 good tracks. "Hip-Hop" is a little bit weak, compared to the other tracks, and "Habitat" pushed him down a little. Fortunately, that's doesn't stop it from being great. I recommend a purchase. BUY THIS! STREAM IT! This is a very good album, which shows Mos at his finest. Great and a certified classic!

The Furious 5ive

Mathematics

Ms. Fat Booty

Brooklyn

Know That

Umi Says

Honourable Mentions

Love

Mr. Nigga

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Released: September 29, 1998

In 1997, two Brooklyn, New York artists were signed to Rawkus Records: Mos Def [now known as Yasiin Bey], a rapper/actor who had his career jumpstarted when he collaborated with De La Soul ["Big Brother Beat", one of my favourite songs off Stakes Is High] and Da Bush Babees [3 tracks off Gravity], along with DJ Honda on "Travellin' Man"; and Talib Kweli, an underground New Yorker who previously worked with Cincinnati group Mood. The two rappers connected with each other and were supposed to release their solo albums around the same time, but their chemistry was so heavy that they postponed their albums and decided to collaborate on an full-length album.

The two artists formed the duo, Black Star, which was named after the Black Star Line, and released their debut single, "Definition". This was then followed by their only album [together], Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Frequently produced by Hi-Tek, the album was released in the Summer of 1998 and deals with modern-day issues [society/politics, religion etc], and life in Brooklyn. With songs like "Definition" & "Respiration" being very popular songs from the two, the album had a bigger jumpstart for them than previously. Mos Def would go on to release Black on Both Sides and have major acting roles (especially in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and 16 Blocks), while Talib Kweli would go on and work with Hi-Tek on Train of Thought, and would also create "Get By", one of his most popular songs produced by Kanye West. Other than that, the two artists would be also known to become important figures in the hip-hop industry.

With that being said, let's go!

1. Intro
Just your normal rap album opening... but it got some sick beat though.

2. Astronomy (8th Light)
The album finally begins with a Beatminerz instrumental, and Mos & Talib do their thing. The two play around with their name, mostly with the phrase "black". The song is funky. Mos brought his all, but to be honest, Talib managed to murk it. But I like the parts where Mos brings up "third-eye vision" and having "black people united"...wait, no, that was Talib who said that "black people unite" line. Nevertheless, the concept was appealing and this was a great song to get everyone down to the album.

3. Definition
When the two (then-)unknown rappers came out with this track, this was an excellent way to introduce themselves to the rap industry especially after a few underground appearances. Hi-Tek's groovy beat with the sunny Jamaican vibe. It was great how in the chorus, they said it "kinda dangerous to be an MC" and how they killed 2Pac & Biggie, mainly because of how clear they made a point. I always liked Mos Def's starter verse and he does his thing. Talib manage to come off well. He sounded a little awkward though. Still, great song.

4. Re:DEFinition
Isn't it a bit too early for a Part 2/Remix? Anyway, the duo does a second part and it is darker than the original and gets more serious. I always thought this time Talib had a better verse than Mos, and that this version went harder than the original. It's good how they talked about everything from black liberation and hip-hop culture to the Bible, Menudo and more. The beat is nice and the rhymes come out better than the original. One of the best songs on the album!

5. Children's Story
So, Mos gets a solo shot on the album and uses the opportunity to cover Slick Rick's "Children's Story". The thing is, it's not exactly like the original. Mos uses the original rhymes and themes to the context of the music industry. This is darker than usual with a different and modernized beat, but isn't better than the original. Mos bring up subjects from pop-rap hits & radio to the East/West Coast Rivalry. However, the song just comes out decent though, and makes me rather hear the original than this one. I still like it.

6. Brown Skin Lady
The duo is back together on this one and is dedicated to brown-skin women, like Latinas, African-Americans and Black Caribbeans [and more]. This is a really chill song. Talib sounds really awkward, especially for him being my favourite out of the duo. Mos does his thing with his Jamaican voice and his respectful lady lines. Talib manages to make up for his weird flow with a 3rd verse, and he doesn't sound awkward anymore. The duo concludes with shout-outs to countries and cities like Jamaica, LA, Nigeria and Ghana. My favourite on this album.

7. B Boys Will B Boys
Mos & Talib takes the time to make a (sort of an) old-school tribute to the b-boys that were around before the MCs came. It's a good song, one of the real-live vibing tracks. Although it's probably supposed to be a proper track on the album, it ends up just sounding more like an interlude/intermission than it is supposed to be. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's not taken like it sounds like. And then there's a long instrumental break at the end...

8. KOS (Determination) [feat. Vinia Mojica]
Talib also gets a solo shot and uses it for a collab with frequent Native Tongues collaborator Vinia Mojica. And this song is nice, and shows Talib at his best (on this album), consciously speaking about knowledge, life and death. Vinia's ad-libs are nice and soulful. Hi-Tek's beat is laidback and sombre. The concept interests me, and Talib's lyrics are great, coming out really strong. With the two solo shots being on this album, this is better than Mos' song. One of my favourites and the dopest track on the album.

9. Hater Players
One of the darkest tracks on the album. This song is something raw, and really lyrical. Talib starts off really nice, and it's good. But Mos comes out with a really hard verse. Talib does a 3rd verse, which is nice, but makes this song sounds more like a Talib Kweli featuring Mos Def song, than a Black Star track. Still a good song.

10. Yo Yeah
Ain't nothing but a skit... but it's really interesting though.

11. Respiration (feat. Common)
One of my favourite songs of all-time, probably top-10, and also one of the best songs in hip-hop history. This song rocks. The city/organic life concept, Hi-Tek's lovely beat, Mos Def's starter verse (which is one of the best verses I've heard), along with a feature from Common. I love everything about it. Mos' verse is so nice, Talib continues off a lot nice, while Common manages to be with his conscious self, which is one of the highlights on this track. The best song on this album. Point Blank.

12. Thieves In The Night
Mos & Talib at their finest. Talib starts off really nicely, rapping to 88-Keys' sombre beat. Mos continues with a verse, which can be one of the best verses I've heard from Mos. That verse was so nice, and makes a lot of points, especially being a long verse. Mos' singing of "stop hiding your face" really appeals to me, and probably the listener, because it does bring out a message and more of a audible painting. Really nice, and brilliant.

13. Twice Inna Lifetime (feat. Jane Doe, Wordsworth & Punchline)
The album concludes with Mos & Talib collaborating with underground New Yorkers on a posse-cut. Jane Doe started off really nice with her lyrical content. Wordsworth was alright. Talib came out with a solid verse, which is really monstrous. Punchline was actually the closest to best on this, to be honest. And finally, you know who, Mos ends the track with a really lyrical verse, which is the highlight on this track. This sounds like how the final track of The Love Movement was (Rock Rock Y'all), but this one has Talib on it, not Q-Tip. A really great track from the crew, and it comes off really well. Now it's over.

From two (then-)unknown rappers who were trying to bring a message across, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star was a successful mission for those two. Mos & Talib manages to talk about life, social issues, and a lot of things happening around the world. I find a lot of joy and happiness when listening to this album. The two get on the tracks together and the chemistry is heavily shown a lot. No wonder why they postponed the albums. Individually, they are 2 different people with really different flows, each that can come off awkward for many people. Talib sounded weird in a few songs, while Mos managed to come out flawless. As you saw from the track-by-track review, Talib happened to be my favourite due to his conscious self, but as I listened to the album more, Mos then began to be my favourite, with flawless rhymes and came out way better than Kweli. The messages were really interesting, the beats were very hot, the feature(s) were alright, especially Common with his verse on "Respiration". With nice beats, lyrical content and Brooklyn life as the two know it being shown in the album frequently; Black Star is worth the listen. Really worth the listen, especially with their two solo projects proving to be better and improved. I recommend a purchase/stream. buy Buy BUY! listen Listen LISTEN! This album is so good, so great, so... well, you get the point. Mos & Talib manages to succeed with their messages and it comes off really really great. A highly recommend album and an instant classic.

The Furious 5ive
Respiration
Brown Skin Lady
KOS (Determination)
Thieves In The Night
RE:DEFinition

Honourable Mentions

Twice Inna Lifetime

Definition

A New Year's Review: G-Unit - 50 Cent Is The Future

Released: June 1, 2002

On April 24, 2000, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson was shot 9 times, just outside his grandma's house. When news broke out, the news industry were reporting it as if it was a rapper no-one knew about. Jackson spent 13 days in the hospital trying to recover.

Well... let's rewind back to before he got shot where he was an aspiring rapper trying to make it out the hood.

50 Cent was originally signed to Columbia at the time. After leaving Jam Master Jay's label due to album shelving, he released "How to Rob" and "Rowdy Rowdy", two songs from the In Too Deep movie soundtrack. "How To Rob" was the most popular one as it was known for him dissing the music industry (and a lot of people took action), including Mariah (well, he had to change that lyric), Diddy, Wu-Tang and more. He also ended up releasing "Thug Love" with labelmates Destiny's Child and "Ya Life's on the Line", a Ja Rule diss. Then he got shot, at a time where he was supposed to release his debut (which was to be Power of the Dollar).
When 50 recovered from the shot and the injuries, he stayed with his ex-girlfriend and son in the Poconos. He returned to music, only to realize he was blacklisted in the industry, apparently because of a song called "Ghetto Qu'ran". He had to record new music in Canada, and release mixtapes to create a new buzz. Guess Who's Back was a compilation of rare (underground) and new songs [and it's also the album that got him signed], while 50 Cent Is The Future was a mixtape recorded with his crew, G-Unit.

50 Cent Is The Future was the first mixtape for both 50 Cent and his group, G-Unit. It was 1/3 of Unit mixtapes released in 2002. Recorded in Canada, the mixtape has the group revisit material from artists such as Raphael Saadiq, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang and Jay-Z. The original G-Unit consisted of 50, the de facto leader of the squad, Lloyd Banks (aka The PLK/Punchline King) who was (and still is) the people's favourite member, and Tony Yayo, the weakest link [all this was before Young Buck was a member]. Although the G-Unit Radio mixtape series would prove to have a bigger impact on the mixtape game, this tape sure did have a massive impact on the rap industry, and gained 50 and the crew popularity,

Anyway... let's do this!

1. You Should Be Here
So the group starts out by messing with an R&B track from Raphael Saadiq. This is not bad. It's a good starter. 50 and the gang switches it up and it's nice. Of course, I always thought Lloyd Banks did the best part because... well, he's Banks. Yayo (as usual) was just being a hypeman, a frequent reason why a lot of people don't like him. But, this song's good.

2. Bump Dat (Street Mix)
50 & Yayo do their own version of Havoc's "Bump Dat" (although credited as Mobb Deep). The original track with both 50 and Big Noyd wouldn't be heard until Free Agents, a Mobb Deep mixtape. Anyway, this is great. Tony Yayo's verse wasn't that bad, compared to the other songs he has done. But the original will always be better than this. This is just decent, compared to that.

3. The Banks Workout
Pretty much the best track on this tape. Period.

4. Whoo Kid/Kay Slay Shit
50 does a solo to Mobb Deep's "Crawlin" and it's nice. Too bad it's quick...

5. Just F***ing Around
50 does another one with a Mase song and "Biggie". As the title suggests, he's just playing, especially in the first part. But I like the second part more, mainly because he shows off a lot here. Not bad though, just decent.

6. G-Unit Soldiers
The whole crew gets on "Losin Weight" [by Cam'ron & Prodigy] and it's good. Banks & Yayo have two verses as they share the mic (well... kinda). Yayo messes up, as usual; while Banks has a nice rap to fit in. This is a nice song. Like it, but it's short.

7. Got Me A Bottle
50 & Banks do a party track together, changing "model" to "bottle". Banks does a short and sweet verse, and 50 concludes decently, and he has fun with it. This is a nice laidback track and I like how they jump on a popular track. It's great!

8. Tony Yayo Explosion
Yayo raps to one of my favourite Mobb Deep tracks [aka Eye for an Eye (Your Beef is Mines)], but the thing is, he's rubbish with it. So... MEH!

9. Clue/50
This song is actually nice. Great freestyle from 50 and with DJ Clue giving him a beat. Once again, it's really quick, but I like it. Really decent.

10. A Lil Bit of Everything (with UTP)
Before being a G-Unit member, Young Buck was part of a group called UTP, which was formed by Cash Money member Juvenile. Anyway, The Unit works with UTP on a Southern street track that sounds like it could've been UTP or the Unit's first single. Young Buck does his thing with his hungry flow, Banks, as usual, kills this track. Skip & Juvenile were alright, with 50 just having a mediocre verse. But this song has a very catchy beat. And how the song mixes with a verse from 1 UTP member and one from the Unit is very appealing as they share the mic. Nevertheless, I love this.

11. Cutmaster C Shit
50 does a remix to Geto Boys "No Nuts, No Glory". This song was also the intro to his compilation, Guess Who's Back. Anywho, this song is great. I liked the smooth remixed beat from Cutmaster C and the catchy lyrical flow. The song has something really raw from 50 and it interests me. My second favourite on this tape.

12. Call Me
50 & Yayo does a remix to Tweet's "Call Me". 50 starts out nice, so it had potential. But I don't know who's on the second part, but he/she's good. But Yayo ruins it as usual, so it just comes out as decent.

13. 50/Banks
This is not bad. It's alright. 50 does his thing and it's nice how he says shout-outs are played out, while Banks murks this with his hungry flow. A really great song from the two.

14. Surrounded by Hoes
I love this. Gives me a lot of nostalgia, and also the party/club flow from 50. Too bad it's quick...

15. That's What's Up
AWWWWW YEAAAAAAH!! This is my all-time favourite on this tape. Taking a Wu-Tang beat and turning it into a better track. I know that it's hip-hop blasphemy when I say this, especially when Wu-Tang are seen as one of the best rap groups, but I love this more than the original. I'm joking! Of course, the original is better, but this is great. Banks starts us off and he bangs this out like it's nothing. 50 continues with a mediocre verse, while Yayo actually comes off strong unlike usual. I love this song!

16. Bad News
Now it's over. The group concludes with a banger which samples "Feeling Good", and it's good. Banks once again starts with a great verse. Yayo coming out strong with 50 having a nice one. I like the gangsta vibe to this and it comes out as a banging type of song that could've been from Ruff Ryders. Well, the tape is now finished...

You know, with this mixtape, it's kinda hard to describe it. I mean, it's a great tape, but then I can't really say it's not good at the same time. It's confusing and let me tell you why. G-Unit were at a time where they were to prove that they were gonna take over the rap game. This mixtape had the group taking beats and making it their own. The crew manages to come off strong. The only flaws are Yayo and sometimes the flows. 50's raps weren't that great, but were quickly improved especially in "Cutmaster C Shit" and "That's What's Up". Lloyd Banks shows his hunger a lot, with zero flaws of his raps at all, while Yayo is just terrible. He only does well on 3 tracks. The beatpicking is really nice and the group knows what to do with those songs. However, the tape is a bit quick, and feels like those songs are just interludes. 50 and the crew just gives us 16 or less bars (especially with a lot of talking at the end of songs). Heck, Banks is the only one that has his own track with "The Banks Workout" and that's more than just 16 bars. 50 Cent Is The Future is a really great mixtape, especially with the beatpicking and flows. Even with 2 minor flaws, do I recommend a download/listen... or not? Well... it depends if you don't like quick stuff or if you like hunger from the crew (well, of course not Yayo). I'll let you decide...

The Furious 5ive
The Banks Workout
That's What's Up
Cutmaster C Shit
Surrounded By Hoes
Bad News

Honourable Mentions
Bump Dat (Street Mix)
A Lil Bit of Everything
50/Banks