[This is the final part of a longer series – previous track - "Thieves in the Night"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/DZ7dlo3PWhk Reaching the end of these posts I'm brought back to the beginning, the first time I listened to Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star. I got to "Twice Inna Lifetime", about 4.5 miles into the 5 mile … Continue reading Twice Inna Lifetime (Track 13) and Conclusions about Teaching →

[This is part 12 of a longer series – previous track - "Respiration" - next track - "Twice Inna Lifetime"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/JW4Tm5wWW34 In his memoir, Talib Kweli reports that Mos Def was not a fan of this one at first - he thought it was too slow and too many words.  But for me, this was, on the … Continue reading Thieves in the Night (Track 12) →

[This is part 11 of a longer series – previous track - "Yo Yeah" - next track - "Thieves in the Night"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/eeTnog5RRQo This song is massive and complex - there's no way around that - but it's also catchy and engaging. I fear my analysis of it below doesn't live up to that, but really good … Continue reading Respiration (Track 11) →

[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) →

[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) →