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Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
MosDef&TalibKweliBlackStar.jpg
Studio album by Black Star
Released September 29, 1998
Recorded September 1997 – May 1998
Genre Alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop
Length 50:11
Label Rawkus, Priority, EMI, MCA, Universal
Producer Shawn J. Period, Hi-Tek, Ge-ology, 88-Keys, J. Rawls, Da Beatminerz
Mos Def chronology
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
(1998)
Black on Both Sides
(1999)
Talib Kweli chronology
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
(1998)
Train of Thought
(2000)
Singles from Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
  1. "Definition"
    Released: May 26, 1998
  2. "Respiration"
    Released: February 23, 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 5/5 stars
Encyclopedia of Popular Music 4/5 stars
Entertainment Weekly A−
Rolling Stone 3/5 stars
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 4/5 stars
The Source 3.5/5
Spin 10/10
Sputnikmusic 4/5
The Village Voice A−

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (often called simply Black Star) is the only studio album by Black Star, a hip hop duo consisting of emcees Talib Kweli and Mos Def (the latter of whom now goes by his new stage name Yasiin Bey). The album was released on September 29, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City, as the two artists know it.

The album's fruition came about from the chemistry between the two emcees. Both planned to release their solo albums around the same time, but they postponed their individual projects and decided instead to collaborate on a full-length LP. The album's cover was designed by artist Brent Rollins.

The late jazz musician Weldon Irvine played the keys on the album's opening song, "Astronomy," which interprets the word "black" in a positive way, and contains similes such as "Black, like my baby girl's hair". The next song, and first single, "Definition", is a stern response to hip hop's fascination with death, and a dedication to slain emcees Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.. As the chorus goes, "One two three/Mos Def and Talib Kweli/We came to rock it on to the tip top/Best alliance in hip hop, Y-O/I said, one two three/It's kinda dangerous to be a MC/They shot 2Pac and Biggie/Too much violence in hip hop, Y-O". The chorus is also a play on Boogie Down Productions' anti-gun song "Stop the Violence", as well as "Remix For P Is Free" from their album Criminal Minded. "Children's Story" is a re-imagined version of Slick Rick's original, which features Mos Def cautioning overly materialistic pursuits.


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