Mos Def: Black on Both Sides
One half of prolific rap group Black Star, Mos Def drops a self conscious approach when touching the microphone. With his complex lyricism, he leaves no stones untouched, whether showing his vulnerabilities, or his supreme skills, he touches upon subjects that really matter. Love, family, politics, and even getting played by Ms. Fat Booty. Not since Nas dropped Illmatic has there been a debut album that still gets me as excited as the first time I got the privilege to pop this bad boy into a boom-box. The production has an old school soul feel, the lyrics are from another planet, Mos Def is definitely a generational writer, not just for hip hop, but for all who like thought provoking poetry.