Author: jb

Hater Players (Track 9)

[This is part 9 of a longer series – previous track - "KOS (Determination)" - next track - "Yo Yeah"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/3iewg3zp-yI This song seems to come pretty hard at the same folks that “Re-Definition” was going after but a little more in the vernacular of a more straightforward diss track.  About halfway through, though, we get this … Continue reading Hater Players (Track 9) →

K.O.S. (Determination) (track 8)

[This is part 8 of a longer series – previous track - "B Boys Will Be Boys" - next track - "Hater Players"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/kETkgRNSVzk One of the great programmatic statements of the album begins this track, after a side conversation - So many MC’s focus in on Black people exterminationwe keep it balanced with that knowledge of … Continue reading K.O.S. (Determination) (track 8) →

“B Boys Will Be Boys” (Track 7)

[This is part 7 of a longer series – previous track - "Brown-Skinned Lady" - next track - "KOS (Determination")] https://www.youtube.com/embed/2YVrdLEeKMU As one catalog ends - from the end of "Brown-Skinned Lady," calling in the great circle of “indigenous women of the planet earth,” another more local (and masculine) one begins, as Mos Def and Talib Kweli … Continue reading “B Boys Will Be Boys” (Track 7) →

“Brown-Skinned Lady” (Track 6)

[This is part 6 of a longer series – previous track - "Children's Story" - next track - "B Boys will Be Boys"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPcdO9CFhWI "Brown-Skinned Lady" is both an ordinary love song and also a deeply intellectual engagement with intersectional feminism. And just like with "Re:Definition," I'm approaching these contexts with humility, as they get to some of … Continue reading “Brown-Skinned Lady” (Track 6) →

“Children’s Story” (Track 5)

[This is part 5 of a longer series – previous track - "Re:Definition" - next track - "Brown-Skinned Lady"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/2CagQFPm3JY The opening four tracks of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star feel like they form a kind of opening act. The fifth song on the album, "Children's Story," a cover (sort of) of Slick Rick's song … Continue reading “Children’s Story” (Track 5) →

Re:Definition (Track 4)

[This is part 4 of a longer series – previous track - "Definition" - next track - "Children's Story"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/fr6SrRQnZv4 "Definition" (youtube/spotify) and "Re:Definition" (youtube/spotify) roll together like one continuous track, but also like 2 mirror images: "Definition" is joyful and celebratory; "Re:Definition" is "turnin' your play into a tragedy." The key change (and subtle downshift in rhythm) … Continue reading Re:Definition (Track 4) →

Astronomy (8th Light) (track 2)

[This is part 2 of a longer series – previous post “Interlude” - previous track - "Introduction" - next track - "Definition"] That's what hip-hop is: It's sociology and English put to a beat, you know. Talib Kweli Now fast forward to post-post-pandemic 2023, and Malachi, a student (all the names are changed) exasperated, looks at me after … Continue reading Astronomy (8th Light) (track 2) →

Interlude – Some Light in the Darkness – Student Adventures in Pandemic Podcasting

[This is part of a longer series – previous track “Intro” – next track – “Astronomy (8th Light)”] I’ve asked students to analyze Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star for the last three years - the first time came that winter was just a couple months after that first listening (right after the 1/6 insurrection, as a … Continue reading Interlude – Some Light in the Darkness – Student Adventures in Pandemic Podcasting →