Pt.1

“Everybody act accordin to the season

that they born in”

The Year of The Ox

was when he was born in a

world that was quiet,

violent and cold.

But he did not fall victim

Mos Def rose above

When he was conceived

his pops was in love and made

Mos: The eldest son

Def: The chosen one

here’s where the story begun

on 12/11.

One of the illest

that you have ever known is

The Mighty Mos Def

He is one of thee

most powerful MC’s of

not just the ninety’s…

but of history.

His career spans two decades

lets look at it from

several haikus

starting from the beginning

in 73.

The concrete jungle

was where he was born and raised,

surrounded by crime.

Roosevelt Projects

bright valley with dark prospects,

where he learned to rhyme.

Bedford Stuyvesant

home to many mc’s like

Biggie, Jay, Kweli

and Mos who grew up

in the crack epidemic

80’s NYC.

The eldest of twelve

in a city on decline

his passion for arts

kept him on the rise,

surrounded by cloudiness

determined to shine

1982

at the tender age of nine

he wrote his first rhymes

and steered away, from

the violence and addiction

he saw everyday.

A ghetto war zone

street pharmacists, crack mothers

outside his window.

A talented kid

who only wanted to spit

caught in the middle

of gotham’s gangsters

arguing and tussling

hardcore hustling

on darkened back streets.

New York: The Narcotic

city never sleeps

street lights stay throbbing

The cops and robbers: partners

both of them: Heartless.

The cycle repeats

On small loose leaf sheets

he sketched a very big plan

his sword was his pen.

Theatre and hip hop:

his two main realms of interest

kept him off the streets

By his freshman year

he was acting in movies/

flows forever deep.

We were meant to hear

this messiah of hip hop:

he was meant to speak.

His grandparents and

siblings were inspiration

on his life and work

as was the tree lined

Brooklyn his home town of pride

so much more than just (where he resides).

From avenues to

terraces and on street sides

he spoke of real life.

From mom and pop stores

to the housing project floors

he captured the strife

of Brook nam- Vietnam:

his hometown that he held dear

realized its beauty

absorbed it early

dropped out as a sophomore, his

destiny was clear.

Pt.2

“we live the now for

the promise of the infinite”

Native son speaking

with flows of the Native Tongues

eyes on tomorrow

but heart on today

his thoughts as sharp as razors

his flow: smooth as clay.

Committed to page

words cascade like waterfalls

writing rhymes for days

immersing himself

in the blossoming rap scene:

New York’s golden age.

Friends asked him to hang

most definitely he’d say

his favorite phrase

is what borned his name.

But before he went solo

and before Black Star

He started a group

with his brother and sister

U.T.D: their name.

Despite their dope flows

they never made a record,

but still rocked small shows

and at this same time

Mos carved a name for himself

shit’s about to blow…

Voice is a siren

in the underground jungle

soul of a lion

He’s charging forward

two guest verses in 9 6

one: A De La joint.

https://youtu.be/YHTzZaDZaNU

Solo career launched

in 1997

his first single was

an underground hit

“Universal Magnetic”

still sounds like a kid.

With lyrics silk smooth

when they bounce out the speaker

they stick to you: glue

The way he got through

and communicated words

was non-typical

unique and vivid

like a 3-d visual

true original

B-boy Apostle

with words so spiritual

what would he do next?!!!??!

Nothing less than a miracle.

Pt.3

“BLACK, my family thick, like black strap molasses

STAR, on the rise, in the eyes of the masses”

After the first hit

came a Rawkus record deal

and a partnership…..

with Talib Kweli.

The two met in a bookstore

browsing poetry

and decided to

form a hip hop alliance

the rest: history…..

What is the Black Star?

is it shining from very

far to where you are?….

in 1-9-9-8

two bad brothers hit the scene

and blew up the spot

A phenomenon

amongst the constellations

a space entity

Kwel and Mos? night owls

back and forth on Hi-Tek beats

wandering the streets

but other worlds too,

Budapest and Nazareth:

as close as can be.

Black superhero’s,

true documentarians

and visionaries.

vivid imagery

all over their masterpiece

on “Respiration”…

the deep city breathes

Common, Kweli and Mos

each murder the beat.

They leave the mic blazed

with thoughts mad jagged and rough

listeners: amazed

Hip hop: they saved it.

shining like an asterisk,

Black Star: passionate.

Jams they wrote: strong

became anthems of the ghetto

and places beyond.

Proud of their color:

Dark like the side of the moon

soaring through the sky

They caught many eyes

and praise would only rise with

Mos’ solo debut:

Black On Both Sides

Pt. 4 The First Solo Album

“Bismillah ir Rhman ir Raheem”

{In The Name Of God, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful}

The black man from Black Star

blasts forth with the weaponry,

goes out on his own

and makes a landmark

record of the conscious rap

movement that had grown.

Establishes his place

in the upper echelon

of the era’s greats.

He did it all:

Instrument player,

the leader of a movement

and raw rhyme sayer

slaying and chopping

up jazzy, progressive beats

his words are alive

and true to the streets

the ghetto philosopher

connected and wise.

with songs about love

math, aquatic pollution

over vintage grooves

Discrimination

and his native Brooklyn blocks

he’s teaching us too.

Brutally honest

but he knew how to rock it

when the beat came in

Socially conscious,

political yet playful

his rhymes: perfect blends

With 17 tracks

each one better than the last

Mos never gets cold

All over the world

hearts pounding to his rhythms

the album went gold.

And with it unfolds:

a new era for hip hop

he ushered it in

With the truths he told

people of all walks of life

were instantly sold

cause he spoke so clear

and resonated beyond

his native borough,

yet always stayed near.

A brother with so much soul,

peace, power, no fear.

His solo debut

has only grown more revered

as the times have spun.

It cemented him:

not to be taken lightly

but bright as the sun.



