The New Danger | Mos Def
Written by Nirav on July 9, 2008
Home >> Album Reviews >> The New Danger | Mos Def
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Upon first listening, this album turned me off. I heard real drums, I heard guitars (barely any guitars in hip hop besides The Roots), I heard blues type instruments, I think there might have been some saxophones, etc. And on top of that, I heard singing instead of rapping. What was this? Don’t tell me that Mos Def has suddenly turned pop or into a garage rock band! I love Mos Def - what’s happening?

Due to the anticipation that mounted from his first album release Black on Both Sides (1999), I was expecting another lyrical orchestra come from Mos Def. Heavy on the lyrical content, somewhat jazzy, soulful, or simple beat on the production side. Maybe a beat or two by Kanye West due to their growing friendship. The normal way a hip hop emcee puts out an album. Anyone who does something outside this norm risks alot: fans, album sales, and credibility.

Knowing that Mos Def is one of the most talented emcees (if not #1) and a musical genius, I gave The New Danger (2004) several listens as a courtesy before placing my permanent judgment on this album. Through the process of listening to it over and over, I began to let go of my premonitions. I started to drop the original image and expectations I had of Mos as an emcee and started to appreciate his character as a musician. Then I think on my 15th listen, I found that I loved this album. Not just one song or the style, but every minute on every track. Fifteen full album listens might sound like a alot. But when you love an artist and their music, you learn patience because you understand the reward - a lifetime of musical solitude from that one album/song/artist.

A few things to really note about this album:

  1. Amazing Singing: Mos’s voice has grown extraordinarily since his singing on Umi Says (Nike commercial).
  2. Production Uniqueness: Minnesota puts together an assortment of simple yet very unique beats that Mos spits on top of. The simplicity is powerful.
  3. Presence of a Theme: Each track relates back to the theme of our culture/gov’t scaring the public through boogeyman stories. Whether that’s through music, t.v., newspapers, and other media outlets.
  4. Instrumentation: Use of live instruments + real sounds to produce the music. Lots of instruments and lots of different sounds.

You’ll either love or hate this album if you’re a fan of Mos Def. There is really no two ways around it!

Viewing 5 Comments

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    His voice is annoying, the beats are eh. It isn't wack because of the fact he used instruments. He's wack cause his voice sounds like a Black Dracula on meth, weed and cocaine. He's not very much of an activist, tends to star in stupid films, and has lyrics which make the Sugar Hill Gang sound "deep". Hip Hop is dead, like all the other genres have died. The ycome and go. This generation needs a newer sound. Gayfish/Lil Gay/Gay Z are just remnants of the past which are successful pretty much because there is nothing really challenging them. Time for some new stuff to take the reigns away from the Black rappers (not HIP HOPPERS) and puts it back into the hands of the streets. Kanye/Lil Gay/Gay Z are not the streets, nor were they ever. The reason Gay Z wants people to forget their "Blackness" is because they are looking to play to white audiences when Black audiences dwindle/fall off. It's pretty much in our faces. As for Mos Def, he should stick to acting in BETTER films and leave hip hop alone. It really can't be revived because it is not the music of this generation or rather was not created by their hands. This generation is merely mimicking the newness of the past when hip hop first came on the scene. It's just not any longer, time to move on.
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    "His voice is annoying, the beats are eh." - this is simply your opinion, nothing more or less; obviously different people may have different opinions.

    "his voice sounds like a Black Dracula on meth, weed and cocaine." - can't really comment because I'm not familiar with Black Dracula, but this does seem like a bit of a harsh assessment.

    "He's not very much of an activist" - Nirav simply stated that a recurring theme in this album is gov't scare tactics... this is a fact which I don't really think can be denied.

    "[He] tends to star in stupid films" - I think The Italian Job is a decent movie and Mos did a good job acting in it; I can't really speak to his other films.

    "[He] has lyrics which make the Sugar Hill Gang sound "deep"." - This statement is so incredibly absurd that I'm not gonna waste any more time than this responding to it.

    "Hip Hop is dead, like all the other genres have died." - What? Seriously? So *all* music is dead then? What planet are you from? Or do you only listen to the radio? If you prefer older music then fine, I've got no problem with that. But to make a statement like this is to do nothing short of advertising your blatant ignorance.

    Your next few sentences go on to use the word "Gay" in a derogatory way six different times, which tells me that you are most certainly in middle school or high school. Don't worry, you'll grow out of this phase eventually... and if you are already in your 20's then I truly and deeply pity you because you have the maturity level of a 13-year old.

    "It really can't be revived because it is not the music of this generation or rather was not created by their hands." - So the longest a musical genre can possibly last is a single generation? Congratulations, you have once again let your ignorance shine though. Music, like all other art forms, is meant to grow and evolve with the times. Art is a product of its era. Case in point - jazz music. Over the past century it has evolved immensely from New Orleans to Swing, Dixieland, Bebop, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Modal, Free Jazz, Latin Jazz, Soul Jazz, Fusion, Experimental, etc. Evolution is necessary for the survival of living things - why should it be any different for music?
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    Definitely a groundbreaking hip-hop album, and it definitely may take several listens before it is appreciated. I would classify Mos's singing as 'surprisingly good' though, as opposed to 'amazing'. I certainly agree that his voice has grown immensely, but I think when words like 'amazing', 'epic', etc. are overused, they somewhat lose their meaning. One can argue that in the world of hip-hop he has a great voice, but in the grand scheme of things, probably just a good one.
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    Agreed. In the world of hop hop, his voice is great and/or amazing. When you here people like Weezy singing Lollipop or a 100% synthesized T Pain running a chorus, you can help but say 'amazing' to someone like Mos Def. It's way better simply in comparison. But in the overall world of singing, he is simply good :->
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    Love.
 
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