Mos Def Releases "The Ecstatic"
Rapper / Actor Returns to the Studio with a Strong Effort
Jul 23, 2009
As evidenced by his three Grammy nominations and three NAACP Image Award nominations, Mos Def has accomplished the difficult task of earning credibility as both a rapper and an actor.
In the decade since he released the classic album Black on Both Sides, the artist formerly known as Dante Terrell Smith has kept a busy schedule, creating memorable tracks -- "Close Edge" (from The New Danger) is not to be missed -- and memorable performances on the big and small screens. Most notable among them are his performances in the Bruce Willis vehicle 16 Blocks and his portrayal as closeted rapper Gangstalicious on the animated television series The Boondocks.
Mos Def Returns to Hip Hop
After a brief hiatus from hip hop (during which he performed in the films Be Kind Rewind, Cadillac Records, and Next Day Air), Mos Def has returned to the studio to record The Ecstatic, an album that, despite its faults, is a strong follow-up to True Magic, his disappointing 2006 release.
True Magic was a noble failure that attempted to broaden the scope of hip hop in a manner similar to Common's Electric Circus album. The Ecstatic, however, realizes much of the potential of its predecessor, borrowing from multiple influences without sounding derivative of any of them.
Album Highlights
The first half of The Ecstatic illustrates Mos Def's enviable lyrical flow. "Auditorium" features lyrics from "What It Is," Mos Def's duet with Talib Kweli from Kweli's The Beautiful Mixtape: The Struggle Continues. Despite the absence of Kweli (his former partner in the groundbreaking group Black Star), Mos Def carries "Auditorium" exceptionally on his own. The guest appearance from Slick Rick only adds to the impact of an already strong track.
Throughout the album (and especially on "Auditorium" and "Life in Marvelous Times"), Mos Def's poetic style is displayed perfectly over his best beats since The New Danger. His gift for saying as much as possible in as few words as possible is an ideal compliment for the album's rigorously simple beats (as opposed to the more baroque rhythmic arrangements of True Magic). His lyrical parsimony is a far cry from too many of today's rappers, who often fail to realize that less often is more.
Professor Arrington's Grade
By no means is the album without its flaws. The second half of the The Ecstatic does not match the energy or lyrical quality of the first. On the whole, however, the album should serve notice that Mos Def has not lost his lyrical chops and that Hollywood has not yet taken him out of the hip hop game. Mos Def earns a solid B+ for his latest effort.
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