Mos Def – Quiet Dog
Mos Def feat. Slick Rick – Auditorium
“Bright moments…bright moments always come back vivid.” – Mos Def – “Life in Marvelous Times”
I’m not entirely sure why it’s taken me so long to write this review. I’d planned on reviewing this record since the moment I heard it was going to be released. I was skeptical at first that it would even be released, given Mos’ recent recording history. But since it dropped in June, I’ve been pushing this review back and back and back all summer, for no good reason. Mos Def has been, for over 10 years now, one of the most fascinating and frustrating MCs in Hip-Hop. A supremely talented man, though perhaps more talented as an actor than a musician, which might be part of the reason that his recorded work has been erratic, at best, since the release of Black on Both Sides, his debut full-length in 1999.
With the release of the Ecstatic, I think (I can’t emphasize think enough here, time will only tell) that Mos has recommitted himself to making music worthy of his reputation. His rhymes are very solid, his flow is consistent throughout and virtually all the tracks here have great production, provided primarily by Madlib and Oh No (Madlib’s little brother). Many of the album’s tracks are loosely linked, either thematically, referentially (such as the reference above to Rahsaan Roland Kirk and his conceptualization of “Bright Moments”) or via more direct spoken word bits from Malcolm X and Fela Kuti, amongst others.
“Quiet Dog (Bite Hard)” is one of the most infectious things I’ve heard all year, in my top 5 of the best tracks of 2009, perhaps because it’s complex simplicity. The beat doesn’t have a ton of elements, no discernable sample, just some bass drum or tympani (perhaps from a swing era record), some maracas or wood blocks, hand claps and a little bass for the rhythm, but the way it all comes together throughout the song and then drops down during the “simmer down, simmer down, simmer down now” breakdown makes this a stunner. Easily the best thing Mos has done in the 21st century.
Other standouts on the album include the Madlib produced “Auditorium” which also features Slick Rick in classic storytelling mode, “Roses” originally done by Georgia Anne Muldrow, who does guest work on the song, the upbeat funk of “Casa Bey” and also “Twilite Speedball” with it’s ominous almost David Axelrodish horns. I sincerely hope this record is a sign that Mos will get back to taking his musical career as seriously as his acting. Hip-Hop is better for it.