01.The Boogie Man Song...
Nice first track that sets the mood of the album.
Mos Def shows off his vocal skills on this track thats
laid all the way back and straight sexy.
8.5/10
-This beat starts of mellow, stays mellow during the track. A good intro to the album, he enters
one of his many personas, The Boogie Man. not much lyrics to this, a simple but straight forward intro.
8/10
02.Freaky Black Greetings..
This is the exact oppiset of first song
Basicly Mos yelling boastfully over a grimey beat.
No real rapping and doesnt really last long but still a solid track.
7.5/10
-This beat is d0pe, trust me, the rock feel is d0pe. This is just a little taster, just Mos all boasting about himself using a couple of words.
9/10
03.Ghetto Rock...
Personal fav, Great vibe off this one.
I rock this at every party i go to.
I love the way this flows.
No great lyrics here but still a great song, catchy as hell.
If i only listened to one song for the rest of my life this would be it.
The beat is fresh
10/10
-The first proper song on the album. It's got the New York feel, as soon as you hear the beat
"Black Jack Johnson N Y C, R O C K I N G..."
this one puts out a clear point, that it's a mix of ghetto music and rock, and this is what it sounds like, the beat is really catchy and worth a Mos' lyrics are definitely nice on this track, and his flow is d0pe. he rips the beat in the beggining of the track, he calms down a little towards the end though.
9/10
04.Zimzallabim...
Another heavy rock track.
I'm personaly not a rock fan at all but Mos makes it work.
Grimey ass guitars again, this song is rapped over though...rapped over well.
Classic Mos Def lyrics over a heavy rap beat = raw.
For a rockish song this song surprisingly smooth.
8/10
-He's on the self-glory tip with this track, nice beat, got the guitar riffs all over. He rides the beat real nice on this one, his lyrics are good, all about his other personas. He kills this beat, lyrics are the usual d0peness. a personal fave of mine.
8/10
05.The Rape Over...
This is Mos Def's veiws on the rap game over the Jay-Z's "Take Over" beat (produced by Kanye West")
Alot of familure sounding lines.
Great flow, lyrics and beat.
He uses satire to get alot of his veiws across.
Only bad thing about this track is its length (1min 34sec).
9.5/10
-A message about the industry, the lyrics stand out, "...no god in the sky it's me..."
"hey little soldier u ready for war?!, but dont ask what your fighting for"
"MTV is running this rap shit"
a must hear for sure. way too short though, just over a minute n a half.
9/10
06.Blue Black Jack w/Shuggie Otis...
Mos Def sings the blues on this track.Another very laid back song.
Another fav of mine. Mos Def showing off his diversity again.
Flow and feel of this is amazing.
9/10
-Four Bar Blues! this beat is nice, and he shows off his vocals in this track. A real chilled out song, and shows how unique Mos Def is. Voice is ill. worth a repeat.
9/10
07.Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March w/Paul Oschér...
Great jazz track produced by Mos Def himself.
I'm not really into that genre but again Mos (imo) makes it work.
Not much to say about this apart from great track.
8.5/10
-Jazz beat, another chance to hear Mos sing, he really pulls out his voice in this, real catchy track, the beat goes nice with his vocals. Has that classic theme to it.
7/10
08.Sex, Love & Money...
Another sexy track (go figure).
He absolutly kills the beat with this. BAM!
Great flow, lyrics etc that you can shake your ass to.
Catchy ass hell and i dont see why you couldnt do ya damn thing to this.
Another personal fav.
9.5/10
-Beat is very nice, very nice. Mos drops real hot, his lyrics are pretty d0pe on this. The way he finishes bars with BAM is good, catchy, a beat people would dance to, very commercial sound from this. Imagine it playing in clubs or sumthin. The Hook is d0pe, simle but so appealing. another personal fave.
9/10
09.Sunshine...
Dope beat produced Kanye West.
Best song lyrics wise no this album (imo).
Some fav lines are:
"I don't hate players, I don't love the game
I'm the shot clock, way above the game"
"Got more skill, more aim, and more ammo
You can get it all from a big or small barrel
Like, hail Mary, full of grace
Niggaz come in and shoot up the place"
Once again a fav song.
The best straight hip hop song on this album.
10/10
-OOOMMMGGG BEAT IS WHOOOOOAAA!!!! his lyrics on the whole track are fucking fire, a lot of good quotables
but i loved this one
"I don't hate players, I don't love the game I'm the shot clock, way above the game To be point blank with you motherfuck the game I got all this work on me, I ain't come for play You can show the little shorties how you pump and fake But dog, Not to def, I'm not impressed I'm not amused, I'm not confused, I'm not to dude I'm grown man business, and I am not in school Put your hand down youngin' this is not for you"
9.5/10
10.Close Edge...
Another raw, classic Mos Def hip hop song.
Basic beat that works so so well, classic samples in this.
Dope lines:
"I'm like the second plane that made the tower's face off
That shit that let you know it's really not a game dawg"
"It's a real bad way to get ya name in the Source
Testin' the limits of a dangerous force"
Even Doper hook:
"Don't push me (get off)
'Cuz I'm close - To the streets,
to the beach, the bitches, the niggaz,
the women, the children, the workers,
the killers, the addicts, the dealers
the quiet, the livest, the realest
- And that's close"
9.5/10
D0pe beat, even d0per lyrics, absolute perfection for a Mos Def track, it's the complete package.
Don't push me, cuz I'm close To the edge, back, middle, and front Strong back shit liftin' it up From the big and the small I'm like J. Brown +Gettin' Involved+
nuff said
9.5/10
11.The Panties...
OH MY GOD...this song sends chills through my body.
I'm not sure bout the guys but if a female doesnt like this she's straight homo.
Laid back as heeeelll...Mos Def singing again.
I get completely lost in this track.
You got to check this out.
10/10
Panties-
Not one i'd expect to like, but damn, Mos Def's voice is ill son. Another track laced with Mos vocals. the beat is realllll mellow, i like this a lot, a chill out track.
9/10
12.War...
Nice beat and solid lyrics and flow that you'd expect from Mos Def.
"I level with death and she got pretty eyes
Nobody told me death was so damn fine
I go to sleep with that girl on my mind
Wake up in a sea, I wanna fire in line
Grab my heat, then it's get down time
One day I'ma make that girl all mine
But for now I'm a soldier abidin' my time"
The tracks falls off a little near the end when Mos Def starts yelling.
But overall dope track
9/10
-Title speaks for itself, Mos drops the right lyrics, on point, the song is real solid all the way through until the end, where he gets raw with the ranting. FUCK YOU! PAY ME! another nice track, solid.
8/10
13.Grown Man Business w/Minnesota...
Excellent beat.
Minnesota raps first, I haven't heard him before but on this track he is nice, not quite on Mos'level though.
Mos Def is up next and drops a good verse.
"Hop in the game knowing the risk
Still down to load up they clip
Gamblers with hopes of rolling the trip"
"This how it happens, good people, bad habits, diabetics, crack addicts
Asthmatics
Searching for the truth leaping through the holy tablet
The bible, the Q uran, or the ten crack commandments"
both artists flow perfect with this beat.
9/10
- The beat is sick, Minnesota on the first verse, comes real good, doesn't go with the beat as good as Mos does, but lyrics are straight. Mos on the second verse. Lyrics are average, description of how shit is around the area, a good description. Grown Man Business for sure.
8/10
14.Modern Marvel...
Ah, Modern Marvel, I've got to admit first time listening i wasnt feeling this but its grown on me alot.
Mos Def sings his little Bojangles lookin self heart out, not quite reaching some notes but pulls it off.
Over all a great track if your into that kind of thing.
One of my fav songs but no you cant dance to it...to start with.
This song pics up about half way through and Mos Def drops a good verse.
"Mother, mother...
Head in her hands
Her first born son dead in her hands"
"Brother, Brother...
But son, I don't see no brother hood
All I see is thugger hood
Get rich and fuck the hood"
10/10
-A lengthy song, starts with Mos on the mic singing, then a short pause, he keeps singing and really forces all out of his voicebox. I'm not sure about most people, but with Mos, even when he doesn't hit the right note, he makes it sound so d0pe. Not a typical Mos song i would like, but as the track progresses, there's preaching, more strong vocals from Mos and a Marvin Gaye flashback, this is what really makes me like this song, the whole build up of things, the Marvin Gaye part is fucking d0pe...
Mother, mother... Head in her hands/ Her first born son dead in her hands
The whole thing was a setup, a scam /They knew it was set up and planned Niggaz
he worked with wet him and ran, and thas..
Brother, Brother... But son, I don't see no brother hood
All I see is thugger hood Get rich and fuck the hood
All they want is some good smoke from the hood
Lookin for the shorty good stroke from the hood
That's how they touch the hood But when I touch the hood
, I'll make it brighter, black Because I'm brighter, black And I'm so black I'm bright, shine through the blackest night Shine when I'm live, shine via satellite Shout in the hood, we get the picture Cuz everytime you out in the hood, you got photographers witcha What's going on? Ha!
the What's Going On? flashback is the highlight of this song. this is my favorite part of the album. Real deep and meaningful.
10/10
15.Life Is Real...
Nice beat, catchy hook, decent flow and lyrics = Mos Def and this songs no different.
"A fantastic, a beautiful mess
And life nigga in America: the usual stress
I do it to the up, low, the east and the west, I
Do it to most, I do it to death"
8.5/10
-Mos back on the raw hip-hop tip, beat is straight, lyrics are average, starts bland and doesnt get much better as it progresses. Flow is ok on this track,
A fantastic, a beautiful mess And life nigga in America: the usual stress
^ one of the few good quotes in this track.
8/10
16.The Easy Spell...
This track is also produced by Mos Def.
Not so good in my opinion, I wouldnt skip it but its not on the level as the songs leading up to it.
7/10
-Y E A , you could get it, gets very repetitive in this, the theme of this song is guy meets girl, plays his game. and just keeps repeating Y E A all over the track. The beat is on the rock tip again, another beat filled with guitar riffs. Lyrics are ok, not anything special, a song for the clubbers.
8/10
17.The Beggar...
Another track produced by Mos Def.
Slow, basic beat with Mos Def singing over it.
A love song thats more repetitive then the spelling errors in this review.
Not a bad song but again not on the level of the songs leading up to it.
8/10
-Another track laced with Mos vocals, the beat is pretty good, the title speaks for itself. Similar theme to the last track, but he begs in this one. Mos voice is on top in this track, it might make you like his singing voice if you listen to this track. A sexy track, one to play during romantic nights.
9/10
18.Champion Requim...
This track starts off with Mos speaking bout his beliefs.
I'm feeling the beat on this.
Flow is dope, lyrics are perfect.
"And my work is personal, I'm a workin person
I put in work, I work with purpose"
Towards the end he gives a shout out to late artists.
Perfect way to end a great album.
9/10
A good way to lead into the end of the album, about working in the game, the effort, the drama, the stress. Near the end he pays tribute to all those who passed away, and couldn't resist singing the last few words, before his humble exit. Beat is very good, lyrics are just as nice.
'Cause everythin in life 'gon come to an end Because it must, and when it does I hope that y'all remember me
You got work to do, I don't know if that work for you But thats how Mos work it through And my work is personal, I'm a workin person I put in work, I work with purpose
9/10
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Originally Posted by Kris Cain
