This fall marks 20 years since Mos Def released his acclaimed solo debut, Black On Both Sides. The gold-certified Rawkus Records release followed praises from Black Star’s album a year earlier. It also showed a versatile artist who rapped, sang, and commanded audiences with a purist’s, stripped-down approach to Hip-Hop in the age of the bling, the controversial, and the elite. The Brooklyn, New Yorker presented as an Everyman with love for culture, love for his community, and love for rhyming.

Now known as Yasiin Bey, the MC has been elusive at times–by design. However, on November 3, Mos Def will return to BK to perform Black On Both Sides in its entirety, according to Pitchfork. The event takes place at Brooklyn Steel. Moreover, he welcomes fellow mid-’90s New York City Hip-Hop peers Camp Lo to open for him.

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Yasiin Bey Has Premiered A New Album As An Art Exhibit

Between beats and rhymes, Black On Both Sides involved a cross-section of peers including Black Star partner, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Diamond D, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Psycho Les, 88-Keys, Da Bush Babees’ Mr. Khalil, and Ayatollah.

Earlier this year, Yasiin released a collection of songs as an art exhibit. Additionally, he and Talib Kweli have reportedly been recording new Black Star material with Madlib. Bey did appear on Madlib & Freddie Gibbs’ Bandana album. In June, Mos Def performed with The Roots at their annual picnic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to a live mixtape with J. Period, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, and others, he appeared during the band’s 20th-anniversary performance of Things Fall Apart.

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Yasiin Bey Says Black Star Is Working On New Music With Madlib (Audio)

Recently, Diamond spoke to AFH TV about producing Mos Def in the 1990s. That conversation and videos with Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Common, and others are available. We are currently offering free 7-day trial subscriptions.