finetune artist: Black Star

Brooklyn-based MCs Mos Def (b. Dante Terrell "Beze" Smith, 11 December 1973, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA) and Talib Kweli (b. Talib Kweli Greene, 3 October 1975, Brooklyn, New York City, USA) were key players in the new school of hard-hitting underground rappers to emerge in the late 90s. Alongside artists such as Company Flow, Jurassic 5 and Canibus, and the pioneering underground label Rawkus Records, they constituted an informal reaction to hip-hop's twin bugbears, the commercialism of Puff Daddy and the negativity of gangsta rap. Def rapped from an early age, forming Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) with his brother and sister, although he also developed an acting career. He joined the influential Native Tongues Posse, making a guest appearance on De La Soul's 1996 set Stakes Is High. He released the "The Universal Magnetic" and "Body Rock" singles, the latter featuring Q-Tip from key Native Tongues artists A Tribe Called Quest. Kweli worked in the African-American bookstore Nkiru Books on St. Mark's Place, and performed with DJ Hi-Tek as one half of Reflection Eternal. As a Rawkus recording artist, Kweli also appeared on the label's seminal Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1 compilation.

Listen to Black Star at Finetune.

(2002) Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Definition
Respiration
Thieves In The Night
Brown Skin Lady
Re:Definition