Welcome to the Wrong Side of Town...First up, Mos Def's "The Ecstatic"

Welcome to “The Wrong Side of Town”Greetings fellow citizens of Neosoulville my name is the UNABLOGGER and I would like to welcome you to The Wrong Side of Town. In this section of our fair and beloved city we will be engaging in an ongoing dialogue that will relate to all things pertinent to Hip Hop culture. Now I know some of you may be thinking “what the blank” or “there goes the neighborhood”, but let me assure you that here we will adhere to the laws that make Soul and Hip Hop two parts of a single artistic expression. We will also try our best to remain as positive as our subject matter allows. Now that we’ve gotten all of the pleasantries out of the way let’s get down to the business at hand, our first CD review. It’s time to check out The Ecstatic by Mos Def...

First of all I would like to say that Mos Def’s latest effort is one of the tightest Hip Hop albums to drop this year. This is one of those joints that you let play from beginning to end without skipping any of the tracks. As far as Mos’ discography goes The Ecstatic is the strongest release since Black on Both Sides and his legendary Blackstar collaboration with Talib Kweli. With all of the sound bytes, tempo changes and various vocal arrangements it’s impossible to find a dull moment on the Ecstatic. Some people may complain about the songs being to short but that’s part of what makes this project fresh and exciting. You can’t predict what’s going to happen next.

The first song "Supermagic" begins with a monologue that sounds like the voice of Malcolm X proclaiming his desire to work with anyone who is willing to help change the wretched system that we live in. Then a booming track full of dirty guitar riffs and Middle Eastern influenced breaks rips through the speakers and sets the tone for the project nicely. "Auditorium" is also a definite banger with its Asian influenced production from the incomparable Madlib. The Ruler Slick Rick drops by to represent with one of his signature storyteller rhymes that depicts an adventure in Iraq in which Slick Rick becomes the “Elvis of Baghdad”. Slick Rick is by far one of the dopest MC’s to ever touch a microphone but every time I hear his voice all I can see is Snagglepuss rapping wearing a Kangol, eye patch, and a large amount of jewelry. I kept waiting to hear The Ruler say “Exit stage left” or “Heavens to Murgatroyd”!

Mos Def takes it back to the basics on the 808 heavy "Sound Dog Bite Hard". This all drum track has a really great dance feel to it and I can see people in the clubs going crazy over this one. The roughest cut on the CD however is "Life in Marvelous Times". This song is also the first single from the album, and rightfully so. The track’s grimy horns make Mos Def sound like a prize fighter on his way down to the ring and another victory. Other stand out tracks on the album are "The Embassy" and "No Hay Nada Mas". Mos Def links up with Georgia Anne Muldrow on "Roses" and his old Blackstar partner Talib Kweli on "History" to produce some amazing collaborations. The track on "History" is produced by the late great J Dilla and sets the background for another killer Blackstar joint. These are the songs that stood out to me but the whole album is rocking and I’m sure there are other songs that will be your favorites. Needless to say that Mos Def’s lyrics are phenomenal. I mean it’s Mos Def, he kills every track and every style that he drops displays a different rhyme pattern. I’m ecstatic about The Ecstatic!

Peace,

The UNABLOGGER (Hip Hop Vigilante)

P.S.- Here is something I like to call Hip Hop Tidbits. Remember the Notorious B.I.G. track Warning off of the Ready to Die album. That beat had a killer one bar Isaac Hayes sample. Easy Mo Bee produced that track. He originally made that beat for Big Daddy Kane’s Looks Like a Job For… album, but Kane passed on the track up. That’s when Easy Mo Bee shopped it by Bad Boy and they chose it for B.I.G.’s project.