Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
When it takes you five years to follow up a debut of near-landmark stature, you're setting yourself up for failure. Mos Def's second solo album is not disastrous, but it's a sprawling, overambitious mess. A handful of songs from this 75-minute affair feature Black Jack Johnson, the rock band Mos set up with some very respected musicians: bassist Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill house band, Living Colour), drummer Will Calhoun (Living Colour), guitarist Dr. Know (Bad Brains), and keyboardist Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic). While that's a deadly cast of support, those guests seem to have gone into this inspired more by the negligible rap-meets-rock Judgment Night soundtrack than their own past work. The grooves and riffs are basic (of the dull variety), and the vocals rarely surpass echo-heavy shouts of "Let's go!" "Come with it!" and "F*ck you, pay me!" As poor as those songs are, the lowest point of the album is "The Rape Over," a rewrite of Jay-Z's "The Takeover" that jacks Kanye West's beat from same that, for all its sharp rage, is ruined by the line "Quasi-homosexuals is running this rap sh*t" (it's not a boast). Unsurprisingly, the hottest moments tend to come when Mos sticks to what he does best. One slight exception to this is "Modern Marvel," a nine-minute suite smeared with a series of Marvin Gaye samples. Mos sings in whispers (he makes Pharrell sound like Luther, but he has the required spirit), momentum floats in as easy as a light breeze, and then the MC shifts into goosepimple-raising mode. Throughout the whole thing, Mos Def's conviction is apparent. Even with that in his favor, in addition to considering the extra-genre dabblings on Black on Both Sides, The New Danger sounds confused. It should've taken Mos at least three more records for him to reach this state of restless aimlessness. What grates most is that Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract, the best out of the rash of horizon-broadening records from rap artists the past few years, remains unreleased.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
Mos Def, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Raphael Saadiq, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Black Jack Johnson, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Composer, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Easy Mo Bee, Producer - Mos Def, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Black Jack Johnson, Composer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Composer, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Composer, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Paul Oscher, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Warryn Campbell, Composer, Producer - Mos Def, Author, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - Kanye West, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Composer, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Psycho Les, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Composer, Author, MainArtist - Minnesota, Composer, Producer
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Molecules, Producer - Mos Def, Author, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Black Jack Johnson, Composer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Mos Def, Author, MainArtist - 88 Keys, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Album review
When it takes you five years to follow up a debut of near-landmark stature, you're setting yourself up for failure. Mos Def's second solo album is not disastrous, but it's a sprawling, overambitious mess. A handful of songs from this 75-minute affair feature Black Jack Johnson, the rock band Mos set up with some very respected musicians: bassist Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill house band, Living Colour), drummer Will Calhoun (Living Colour), guitarist Dr. Know (Bad Brains), and keyboardist Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic). While that's a deadly cast of support, those guests seem to have gone into this inspired more by the negligible rap-meets-rock Judgment Night soundtrack than their own past work. The grooves and riffs are basic (of the dull variety), and the vocals rarely surpass echo-heavy shouts of "Let's go!" "Come with it!" and "F*ck you, pay me!" As poor as those songs are, the lowest point of the album is "The Rape Over," a rewrite of Jay-Z's "The Takeover" that jacks Kanye West's beat from same that, for all its sharp rage, is ruined by the line "Quasi-homosexuals is running this rap sh*t" (it's not a boast). Unsurprisingly, the hottest moments tend to come when Mos sticks to what he does best. One slight exception to this is "Modern Marvel," a nine-minute suite smeared with a series of Marvin Gaye samples. Mos sings in whispers (he makes Pharrell sound like Luther, but he has the required spirit), momentum floats in as easy as a light breeze, and then the MC shifts into goosepimple-raising mode. Throughout the whole thing, Mos Def's conviction is apparent. Even with that in his favor, in addition to considering the extra-genre dabblings on Black on Both Sides, The New Danger sounds confused. It should've taken Mos at least three more records for him to reach this state of restless aimlessness. What grates most is that Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract, the best out of the rash of horizon-broadening records from rap artists the past few years, remains unreleased.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:19
- Main artists: Mos Def
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Geffen
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 2004 Geffen Records ℗ 2004 Geffen Records
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.