JID has immediately tossed his hat into the Album of the Year conversation with his long-awaited and highly anticipated The Forever Story. Stuffed full of moments, one that sticks out immediately is his collaboration with the artists formally known as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey. “Stars” is the joint and when that beat switches up? Yessir.
For the latest installment of “So Wassup?” DJ Premier talks about producing the “7 Days” remix by British sensation Craig David that featured Mos Def. How did Craig David end up on Preemo’s radar? What did Nate Dogg have to do with the remix? Oh, and what’s this about a 50 Cent song DJ Premier produced that never saw the light of day?
The artist formally known as Mos Def and Ferrari Sheppard drop by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform “Seaside Panic Room” and “N.A.W.” with a little assistance from Questlove.
Mighty Mos Def showed up on Tim Westwood’s show back in 2000 and delivered some bars after a slow start. Yeah, you should listen.
Mos Def performing out West for the Fat Beats LA 1 Year Anniversary party back in ’97. All Mos had out at that time was the “Universal Magnetic” 12″ (not including features and UTD). Once he brings out Kweli you can hear the early beginnings of what would soon become Black Star. Shout out to the Beat Junkies and Skratch Piklz who also rocked that show.
Yasiin Bey (b.k.a. Mos Def) gave Kanye West a call the other night after being arrested in South Africa for violating local immigration laws while trying to leave the country. He’s been detained in Cape Town while he and his family will have 14 days to vacate the country. The voicemail finds Bey explaining his current situation while dropping a freestyle of sorts with the same cadence as Mr. West’s recently released “No More Parties In LA.” The 11-minute message also finds Bey stating his immediate retirement from hip hop and Hollywood. He will drop one last album this year though.
Give it a listen. Hopefully this isn’t the last we hear from the artist formally known as the Mighty Mos Def.
The artist formally known as Mos Def was once dropping rhymes off the dome on the Tim Westwood show back in 1999 and Mr. Westwood pulls it out of the vault 16 years later for your listening pleasure.
The artist formally known as the Mighty Mos Def drops this ode to Tamir Rice, who was the 12-year-old gunned down by police in Cleveland last year.
The mighty Mos Def is back in business with an swift education in lyricism over some Ski Beatz production.
The artist formally known as Mos Def drops in to offer some bars on police brutality and social injustice while under the influence of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
No rap circuses. A Country Called Earth. Free the land. Love and respect to the Basquiat family and Mr. W.F. Flame. Let us be reminded of Sandra bland, Fegurson, Baltimore, and all the injustice of the world, as well as the beauty. Respect to the family of Sean Price and Brooklyn, from which I and Jean-Michel are from. Eternal love to my city. God bless the soul and keeping living, even when we die, we wont stay dead.Lyrics by Yasiin Bey, Music by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s band Gray, off of their album Shades Of, originally recorded between 1979-1981. Lyrics taken from Jean-Michel’s paintings, graffiti and notebook sketches. Make peace and be grateful. L T P F J – Yasiin Bey