Mos Def - The Ecstatic

The problem with being a multi-talented performer is that you run the risk of spreading yourself thin. With so many ideas and the rare ability to pull them all off it takes a very special person to maintain a consistent level of quality across the board. Mos Def unfortunately isn’t one them.

When he was just a rapper, boy was he amazing. Black Star was the quintessential backpacker’s soundtrack and his debut Black On Both Sides is one of the greatest albums in rap history. But over the past few years as Mos has now found a place in Hollywood, his music has suffered terribly because of it.

The Ecstatic is not as big of a letdown as the god awful The New Danger or his last disc, the forgettable True Magic but it’s still not the music Mos is capable of making. One gets the impression throughout the disc that maybe if he spent a little more time editing rhymes or perfecting a melody here and there, this album could have been so much more. But what do you expect when he probably scribbled down ideas in between takes for Cadillac Records?

‘Quiet Dog Bite Hard’, ‘Life in Marvelous Times’, ‘Roses’ and ‘History’ featuring his old buddy Talib Kweli are all solid tracks and despite the initial letdown ‘The Ecstatic‘ is still quality, innovative hip-hop and Mos’s best since 1999.

- Sam Stilson