Black Star [PA]

Performer: Black Star
Artist: Weldon Irvine; Common
Engineer: Success; Pat Viola; Vaughn Sessions; Mr. Walt; Jim Godsey; Kieran Walsh; Charlie Mack
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Black Star: Mos Def, Talib Kweli (rap vocals). Additional personnel: Apani, Common, Jane Doe, Vinia Mojica, Weldon Irvine. Producers: DJ Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Mr. Walt, Shawn J. Period, J. Rawls. Personnel: Mos Def (Fender Rhodes piano); Apani B Fly Emcee (vocals); Weldon Irvine (keyboards). Audio Mixers: Ken "Duro" Ifle; Steve Souder; Mr. Walt; Kieran Walsh; Rick St. Hillaire. Recording information: Bobalicious Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA; D & D Studios, New York, NY; D&D Studios, New York, NY; Funky Slice Studios, Brooklyn, New York, NY; Funky Slice, Brooklyn, NY; Streeterville Studios, Chicago, IL; Unique Recording Studios, New York, NY; Unique Studios. Photographers: Jake Septimus; Eddie Otchere-Dhagren; Franck Khalfoun; Tasleem; Marcus Garvey. After listening to this album, one hopes that the duo of Mos Def and Talib Kweli (both respected individual artists in their own right) would make this unification thing a permanent deal. In the wake of the disbanding of A Tribe Called Quest, hip-hop needs more efforts like the one put forth by these two. A well-crafted piece of work, with an infusion of concepts such as cultural awareness, spiritual reflection, self-actualization, and upward mobilization (sound familiar?), this album will uplift you and move your butt at the same time. Cuts like "K.O.S. (Determination)" and "Brown Skin Lady" should become classics if there is any justice in the hip-hop world. And "Thieves in the Night" is not far behind them.

Rolling Stone (10/29/98, p.77) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...not only an eagerly awaited rap album but also a desperately needed one....Black Star are socially conscious and lyrically sound--with their hearts close to the underground." Entertainment Weekly (10/23/98, p.80) - "...Mixing rugged street beats and rhymes brainy enough for boho B-boys (they cite literary references and quote Nina Simone) makes this Black Star shine bright." - Rating: A- The Wire (1/99, p.27) - Included in Wire's "50 Records Of The Year [1998]" CMJ (1/11/99, pp.5-6) - "...Mos Def and Talib Kweli truly are 'the best alliance in hip-hop,' with Mos's stylized, grainy delivery serving as yang to the smart, spoken words of Kweli's yin..." The Source (11/98, p.198) - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...With a delicate balance of Black Nationalism, well-chosen interludes and lyrics to go, high-pitched metaphor specialist Kweli and straight-up showman Mos prove that they're more than just 'lyrically handsome'..."

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