Some publications ranked it among the greatest albums of the 2000s decade, including The Times at number 30. As his DJ on the tour, Preservation began to develop remixes of the album's songs, which he later released on the remix album The REcstatic in 2013.Ī widespread critical success, The Ecstatic was viewed as a return to form for Mos Def and one of the best albums from 2009, with reviewers applauding its exuberant musical feel, adventurous creative range, and shrewd lyrical performances. To further support the album, Mos Def embarked on an international tour with concerts in North America, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom between August 2009 and April 2010.
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Its sales benefited from its presence on Internet blogs and the release of a T-shirt illustrating the record's packaging alongside a label printed with a code redeemable for a free download of the album. The Ecstatic charted at number nine on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release and eventually sold 168,000 copies. For the album's front cover, a still from Charles Burnett's 1978 film Killer of Sheep was reproduced in red tint. Mos Def titled the album after one of his favorite novels, Victor LaValle's The Ecstatic (2002), believing its titular phrase evoked his singular musical vision.
Its loosely structured, lightly reverbed songs use unconventional time signatures and samples taken from a variety of international musical styles, including Afrobeat, soul, Eurodance, jazz, reggae, Latin, and Middle Eastern music. Mos Def's raps about global politics, love, war, spirituality, and social conditions are informed by the zeitgeist of the late 2000s, Black internationalism, and Pan-Islamic ideas, incorporating a number of Islamic references throughout the album. The work of Stones Throw rapper MF Doom was also cited by Mos Def as an influence, while singer Georgia Anne Muldrow, formerly of the record label, performed as one of the album's few guest vocalists, along with rappers Slick Rick and Talib Kweli.ĭescribed by music journalists as a conscious and alternative hip hop record, The Ecstatic features an eccentric, internationalist quality. Flash, Oh No, and Madlib, with the latter two reusing instrumentals they had produced on Stones Throw Records. He worked with producers such as Preservation, Mr. After venturing further away from hip hop with an acting career and two poorly received albums, Mos Def signed a recording contract with Downtown and recorded The Ecstatic primarily at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Just given the strength of The Ecstatic, his show in Manchester will definitely be an event to remember.The Ecstatic is the fourth album by American rapper Mos Def, released on June 9, 2009, by the independent record label Downtown Records. One thing is certain however is he deftly combines exciting sounds with insightful lyrics. Yasiin Bey’s work has almost always been called ‘conscious rap’ but the label is a bit flimsy as it suggests a greater value than other hip-hop. The lyrics contain many references to pan-Islamic and black internationalist ideas often in the context of the late 2000s zeitgeist and War on Terror and certainly informed by his own Muslim faith. Considered his most sonically ambitious album, the production drew influence from music around the world containing the likes of Afrobeat, flamenco, Bollywood, and jazz, to name a few. It seems he’s definitely not retired from the industry altogether but whether he puts out new music is anyone’s guess.ġ0 years ago, Bey released his fourth album, the acclaimed The Ecstatic, and in honour of it, these three dates will see him performing the album in full. At that time, he even promised two more albums but they have failed to materialise.
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In 2016 he announced his retirement from both the film and music industries, stating “I’m releasing my final album this year, and that’s that.” Later that year he put out December 99 th for free online but it was criticised for being far below the standard of previous works. The impact and appeal of his work in the hip-hop world has cemented his status as one of the greatest living MCs.īey also used to work considerably as an actor but has had few roles in recent years.
Wherever he goes Yasiin Bey consistently draws large crowds. Both albums touched heavily on ideas of black identity and experience in America and did so with immaculate and enamoring production. The Brooklyn native rose to fame in the late 90s with the highly rated albums Blackstar (a collaboration with Talib Kweli) and Black on Both Sides. He’s reviving his former stage name as the show has been billed as ‘Yasiin Bey performs Mos Def’. After rescheduling his UK dates due to “adverse weather conditions”, Rapper Yasiin Bey is finally able to return to the UK for a short, three date tour stopping off at Manchester’s O2 Ritz on the 16th April.
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