Author: jb

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 →

Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro”

[This is part 1 of a longer series – next post “Interlude” - next track - "Astronomy (8th Light)"] “We know that we know how to make some music and that music ain't supposed to stand still…” Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Intro” “I found my only chance for life was in flight.” Narrative of the Life of … Continue reading Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro” →

Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview

` “In the jungle with the leaders — we them lions, you the cheetahs. A cipher will complete us as we come through your receiversYou can play us and repeat us, and then take us home and read us” - Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Definition” Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, the … Continue reading Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview →