Mos Def - The New Danger

Album Review by: brooklyniteOne
Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Mos Def after a long hiatus comes with 'The New Danger'. Be warned if you were annoyed by Mos Def's singing, harmony or whatever on past releases you will most likely be annoyed from the start of this album. If you liked that sound in the past then youll probably feel it. About half of the tracks contain singing and the other half are straight emcee rhyme style tracks.

I wont front, I had expectations and I had predictions. I wanted to hear an album full of rhymes like the rhyme he dropped on Kanye West's classic 'Two Words'. I have heard a bit of the leaked tracks and predicted that he would do his best Andre 3000 impression with this release. The tracks go from hard rock influence to hip-hop break beat tracks and everywhere in between. All in all I have to give this album a favorable review. Why? Simply because even though the album is not what I wanted its not bad and it's good departure from the bullshit cookie cutter regurgitated hip-hop being released like Guerilla Black, yeah I said it.

The straight hip-hop tracks on the album are hot. Lyrical bangers as expected. Not only that but they touch issues like on "The Rape Over" where Mos Def says: "Old White Men is runnin this rap shit, corporate forces is runnin this rap shit... we poke out our asses for a chance to cash in..."

Other straight hip-hop tracks are 'Sunshine', 'Close Edge', 'Life Is Real', and 'War'. The album also contains a few harmony-rap hybrid tracks. At times a harmonizing Mos Def sounds like a fake Bob Marley, or more like a ziggy Marley (laugh) but due to the fact that I listened to the album a couple of times without disgust which has been a current trend. I say in all its not a disappointment and he pulls it off at least half of the time like on "The Panties" and the marvin gaye Inspired "Modern Marvel." Shit take a look at BET and youll see that the game needs some Marvin. What the hell's going on? Oh yeah ""Old White Men is runnin this rap shit, corporate forces is runnin this rap shit..."

Mos Def spits knowledge, rhymes hot when he does rhyme on this release and he does something different, for that I cant knock 'The New Danger'.

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