It’s been an uneven musical career for Yasiin Bey a.k.a. the artist formerly known as Mos Def. There was the early promise of Black Star with Talib Kweli and the massive crossover success of debut solo LP Black On Both Sides then there were the (compared to what came before) wilderness years of acting and LPs The New Danger and the contract-escaping True Magic neither of which achieved the same critical success – though look for the re-appraisal in a few years time which decides they were massive after all. What came next was fourth solo album The Ecstatic which did receive critical acclaim and plaudits in plenty though perhaps didn’t have the desired mainstream success. It is this latter effort that is being re-released on 14 August with the marketing juggernaut of Rhymesayers behind it (the first time it has been available for worldwide distribution in roughly fifteen years) apparently teasing new material after that to boot.
Nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album, production on The Ecstatic came from an impressive list: Madlib, J Dilla, Oh No, Preservation, Mr. Flash, Chad Hugo (of The Neptunes), and Georgia Anne Muldrow while featuring guest spots from Slick Rick and Talib Kweli. The re-release comes in both digital and multiple physical formats of vinyl, CD and cassette – one of which is a deluxe 180-gram double vinyl version that includes a translucent red 45 featuring previously unreleased bonus cuts The Size and The Tournament, accompanied by a 120-page hardback book filled with photos by Cognito and documenting the two years during which Bey created the original 2009 release. Every vinyl order also comes with instant digital downloads of the full album too. The re-release is a long overdue chance to cop the likes of the fire of opener Supermagic, the epic Auditorium (a.k.a. the one with Slick Rick on it) or the ominous power of Revelations on physical format if you missed it the first time.
(Out 14 August on Rhymesayers)