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Mos Def | Black On Both Sides

CD,

Tekst: Ariën Rasmijn

Publicatiedatum: 29 oktober 1999

Known for his work with Black Star, the Lyricist Lounge-project, Rawkus' Soundbombing and more commercially for his collaboration with Scritti Politti, Mos Def has been profiled as that cocky, smart, articulate and credible New York rapper everybody wants a piece of. The latest embodiment of the survival and resurgence of underground East Coast hiphop in the late '90's, a guy who actually wants to be a champion for black people everywhere. At last a true leading figure in the game of rap? When's the last time there ever was one? Of course this type of reputation, with its high expectations from both headz and whitebread critics alike, could've just blown up in his face with this album. It had to be good. It is, and not only in my opinion. Everybody loves Mos Def, and what is there not to like? He's smart, articulate, very funny and multi-talented too(Mos actually plays many instruments and he can sing). Black On Both Sides is OK, a bit regretfully I must say- not 100% all hiphop. There's a funky instrumental (May-December) and a couple of vocal tracks on the album, even an attempt at punk-rock (Rock N Roll), which I guess serve to take the edge off and make it as a whole a bit more pallatable for a wider audience. But the solid beats and the great rhymes, the stuff he and Rawkus (the label he's on) became famous for are very much there, good'n plenty. Tracks like 'Hip Hop', 'Love', 'Do It Now' (feat. Busta Rhymes) and 'Know That' (feat. Talib Kweli) are sure to please the head in all of us.
This is a flagship of a record. A worthy, well-equipped attempt at making an export-product out of serious East Coast hiphop, to have kids in Poland and Singapore (if they could ever get their hands on it), as well as in Brooklyn Zoo bob their heads and realize that's a lot more to hiphop than Puffy and Master P.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/mos-def/black-on-both-sides/836/
Meer Mos Def op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/mos-def