It's allowed to flow free, for better or worse. Not for him, however, the crass crossovers of Run DMC: nowhere on The Ecstatic does the music seem so laboured. Mos Def took three steps back and took on board a holistic view that encompassed punk bands, jazzers, soulsters and rappers. (I generalise swathes of inspired sounds have also emerged.) Mos Def however, appears to have remained aloof - an existentialist in a world that clubs together in knots and gangs.Īs such and in spirit, this probably sits closer to Miles Davis than Eminem. It's almost as if his own personal musical trajectory instantly veered from a hip hop top-heavy with crassness, vulgarity, sexism and the celebration of male ego. Much of The Ecstatic does seem to have evolved from this boyhood. After seeing Wild Style in his local cinema, he became instantly determined to remain true to his aesthetic course. Even then, he knew that something extraordinary was happening in his neighbourhood. This was where his personal discovery of hip hop began - right at hip hop's source, when the groundbreaking artists were genuine local heroes and the bright young Mos Def could only wander about, soaking in the immense energy. The spirit of a twelve-year-old Mos Def is hereby evoked, living in a dream through the raging heat of a Bronx summer. The lyrical themes of The Ecstatic are equally disparate 'Life In Marvellous Times' is a case in point. So is it too much? Does it spread so thinly that first-time listeners might feel rather distanced? It is, after all, impossible to place on the radar and, in the world of solid categorisation in which modern music rather deadeningly exists, this is a rare thing indeed. This is thrilling and almost dangerous.Īnd yet, although this is a profoundly politically aware album even that is not at the expense of sexuality. You listen to this and wonder how it sits with Obama conservatism, let alone that of hip hop's glittery illuminati. The Ecstatic begins with a clip of Malcolm X talking about meeting extremism with extreme methods and how he will join with anybody to make an extreme change. Taken as a whole, it's a wild and vivid dream, locked into the contemporary by Mos Def's omnipresent polemic. Herein you will find a spinning multi-coloured paint box where the punch of hip hop is tempered by unlikely shards of jazz and jazz-funk, soul, electronica and (I can't think of a better name for it) voice-doodling. The artistry remains understated, modest even and, yet again, it takes several plays before the gems begin to form. Instead, and, I suggest, uniquely, the music spreads to gargantuan proportions, an arena in itself where hip hop conservatism is allowed to play no part. Large sales - P Diddy if not Jay Z - would be an easier option, for no classic single has emerged from any of these albums. Now 35, and four intriguing albums deep, he has managed to balance high-level cinematic excursions with a burning desire to remain a multi-genre artist. Mos has taken on something of a spiritual adviser role for Kanye as of late - in a recent Tweet about his “Power” remix verse Kanye wrote, “Mos helped me find the ‘old me’ lyrically.”In a hip hop arena that often rewards the championing of ego over talent, Mos Def remains an enigma. (Via Consequence of Sound.) West and Mos have collaborated several times, most recently on the G.O.O.D. In recent news, for his next album, Def has just signed on with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Rolling Stone magazine named it the seventeenth best album of 2009.With special guests TBA, The Ecstatic Tour is the first time Mos Def has been in OZ since he was out this way with DJ Shadow in 2009 and as aforementioned, this is his first and ‘only ever’ headline Australian tour.Īs a solo artist he has released the albums ‘Black on Both Sides’ in 1999, ‘The New Danger’ in 2004, ‘True Magic’ in 2006 and ‘The Ecstatic’ in 2009. Released June 09, ‘The Ecstatic’ (his 4th studio album to date) just earned Def a 2010 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. His first ever headline tour of Australia, The Ecstatic Tour has been titled in support of his current album of the same name. Grammy Award-nominated rapper, actor and poet MOS DEF has announced The Ecstatic Tour and now Adelaide will bear witness to Mos Def for the 1st time ever!!! Brown Sugar, Monster’s Ball, The Italian Job, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the HBO made-for-TV film Something The Lord Made have been particularly acclaimed by critics. Initially recognized for his musical output, Mos Def’s screen work since the early 2000s has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who have garnered critical approval for their acting work.
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