You listen to this and wonder how it sits with Obama conservatism, let alone that of hip hop's glittery illuminati. The Ecstatic begins with a clip of Malcolm X talking about meeting extremism with extreme methods and how he will join with anybody to make an extreme change. Taken as a whole, it's a wild and vivid dream, locked into the contemporary by Mos Def's omnipresent polemic.
Herein you will find a spinning multi-coloured paint box where the punch of hip hop is tempered by unlikely shards of jazz and jazz-funk, soul, electronica and (I can't think of a better name for it) voice-doodling. The artistry remains understated, modest even and, yet again, it takes several plays before the gems begin to form. Instead, and, I suggest, uniquely, the music spreads to gargantuan proportions, an arena in itself where hip hop conservatism is allowed to play no part. Large sales - P Diddy if not Jay Z - would be an easier option, for no classic single has emerged from any of these albums. Now 35, and four intriguing albums deep, he has managed to balance high-level cinematic excursions with a burning desire to remain a multi-genre artist. In a hip hop arena that often rewards the championing of ego over talent, Mos Def remains an enigma.
0 kommentar(er)
