Black Star: Mos Def & Talib Kweli

If you know hip-hop, you know Black Star. Comprising of Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) and Talib Kweli, they were a big part of the scene in the late 90s and early 2000s. And this show was a celebration of their almost 30-year long career as a rap duo. They performed their old stuff, their newer stuff, and even some solo material made it onto the stage during this show.

I'd seen Yasiin before for the "BEYONDOOM" show as a memorial to MF DOOM's legacy after his passing, so it was nice to be able to see him at the same venue 2 and a half years later. When I walked up to the venue, I saw a group of people standing outside. I thought that was kind of strange since the doors had already been open for a while, so it couldn't have been the queue. Turns out, Yasiin was outside signing stuff for the lucky few people still outside of the venue. I rocked up, shook his hand, and made my way inside. Still kind of shocked at the perfect timing and how that all worked out.

The show itself was fantastic. It was a great display of their talents, weaving in and out of songs and making it an excellent homage to the hip-hop genre. Hearing the whole crowd sing along to The Definition is not something I'll soon forget.

They had even brought some special guests for us! First, Planet Asia showed up to do a song or two with Talib. Then, towards the end of the show, Yasiin did a song off an upcoming album he has cooking together with The Alchemist. And wouldn't you know it? The Alchemist was in the building and got on stage to hear the song he produced be performed live.