Black on Both Sides
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| Black on Both Sides | |||||||||||
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| Studio album by Mos Def | |||||||||||
| Released | October 12, 1999 (US) | ||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative Hip hop, East Coast Hip hop | ||||||||||
| Length | 71:21 | ||||||||||
| Label | Rawkus/UMVD | ||||||||||
| Producer | Mos Def Diamond D 88-Keys DJ Premier Ayatollah Mr. Khaliyl Ali Shaheed Muhammad Weldon Irvine Psycho Les DJ Etch-A-Sketch Ge-ology D Prosper David Kennedy |
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| Mos Def chronology | |||||||||||
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Black on Both Sides is an alternative rap album by Mos Def, released on October 12, 1999 (see 1999 in music). Intended as a return to the roots of hip hop, the album was hailed as a classic soon after its release, and went on to ship Gold in sales.[1] The album's blend of socio-political rhymes with jazz and other unusual sources of samples endeared Mos Def to listeners uninterested in gangsta rap.
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[edit] Music
[edit] Lyrics
Black on Both Sides highlights Mos Def's deep and introspective lyrics, similar to the Black Star sounds, and his striking emcee skills. Mos also displays socially-inclined interest, though mostly in the African-American community. This is displayed in the lyrics to the final vocal track "Mathematics".
Sixty-nine billion in the last twenty years
Spent on national defense but folks still live in fear like
Nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black
That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack.—Mos Def, "Mathematics"
Not all the lyrics deal with social topics, such as "Speed Law", which sees Mos Def's deep lyrical ability.
I'm permanent like tattoos and birth marks
Third degree burn marks
Driving on tracks like Dale Earnheart
Stay on the low like the earth spot
Put a big loss on your earn chart
Nice since the nurse signed my birth chart—Mos Def, "Speed Law"
[edit] Guests
Talib Kweli (one-half of Black Star with Mos Def) and Busta Rhymes are the only main rappers to be featured on the album. Kweli raps the second and final verse of "Know That", while Busta goes back and forth with Mos on "Do It Now". Q-Tip helps sing the chorus on "Mr. Nigga" but doesn't deliver a verse. It should be noted the lyrics Q-Tip recites are similar to his previously stated lyrics on A Tribe Called Quest's "Sucka Nigga". Vinia Mojica (who is known for singing on Native Tongues songs) also sings a duet with Mos Def on the song "Climb.
[edit] Production
The album features a mix between established and rising producers. DJ Premier, considered by some the greatest hip hop producer ever [2], provides the "Mathematics" instrumental. Diamond D also is credited for one beat, which is "Hip Hop". Ali Shaheed Muhammad, known mostly as a member of A Tribe Called Quest, produced the seventh song "Got". Psycho Les of The Beatnuts did little more than the aforementioned producers by supplying two beats (The ninth and tenth tracks "New World Water" and "Rock N Roll", respectively.) Jazz legend Weldon Irvine provided additional production to "Climb".
Ayatollah, who went on to receive moderate success, produced "Ms. Fat Booty" (the most famous song from the album) and "Know That". The same followed for 88-Keys after he made "Speed Law" and co-produced the instrumental outro "May-December" with Mos Def, himself. David Kennedy (The first swing of "Brooklyn" and "Umi Says" produced with Mos Def), Mr. Khaliyl ("Do It Now"), DJ Etch-A-Sketch ("Climb" and "Habitat"), Ge-ology (The second swing of "Brooklyn") and D. Prosper ("Mr. Nigga") round out the other contributors.
It should also be noted of Mos' production help. His only sole production credit comes at "Fear Not of Man", but he provided additional production to four tracks (Hip Hop", "Rock N Roll", "Climb" and "Mr. Nigga") and co-produced three ("Umi Says", "Brooklyn" and "May-December").
[edit] Album changes
Black on Both Sides was one of many Hip-Hop albums that underwent last minute changes. On the song "Brooklyn", a three-movement piece dedicated to Mos' place of origin in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, Mos rhymes three verses over three different beats. The first two beats are original compositions, while the last verse is set to the instrumental of the late Notorious B.I.G.'s 1995 single Who Shot Ya? However, "Brooklyn"'s original soundscape took its concept a bit further. On the original version, the first and third verses are set to the instrumentals of two other 1995 New York rap hits, "Incarcerated Scarfaces" by Raekwon as well as "Give Up the Goods (Just Step)" by Mobb Deep, respectively. The "Who Shot Ya?" verse, with the same vocal take on the released version, is placed in the middle. It is assumed that the use of these instrumentals could not be cleared for various reasons. One of many being the possibility that the samples used in the original instrumentals were only licensed to be used specifically for those compositions, and any further licensing would require the original artists' permission (therefore requiring more money on both sampling parties' ends), or any other number of various music industry troubles. This said version circulates online frequently. It is also notable that on the song, Mos Def sings his own interpolation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' famous song Under the Bridge.
Also, DJ Premier originally used a different sample than the one featured on the released version of "Mathematics", which was decidedly entered into clearance. When clearance failed, DJ Premier crafted a different instrumental for the song.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Featured guest(s) | Sample(s) & Instrumentation (s) | Time |
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| 1 | "Fear Not of Man" | Smith, D. | Mos Def |
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4:28 | |
| 2 | "Hip Hop" | Smith, D./Kirkland, J. | Diamond D Mos Def (additional production) |
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3:16 | |
| 3 | "Love" | Smith, D./Njapa, C. | 88-Keys |
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4:23 | |
| 4 | "Ms. Fat Booty" | Smith, D./Dorrell, L. | Ayatollah |
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3:43 | |
| 5 | "Speed Law" | Smith, D./Njapa, C. | 88-Keys |
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4:16 | |
| 6 | "Do It Now" | Smith, D./Smith, T./Dillon, A. | Mr. Khaliyl | Busta Rhymes | 3:49 | |
| 7 | "Got" | Smith, D./Muhammad, A. | Ali Shaheed Muhammad | 3:27 | ||
| 8 | "Umi Says" | Smith, D./Kennedy, D. | Mos Def David Kennedy |
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5:10 | |
| 9 | "New World Water" | Smith, D./Fernandez, L. | Psycho Les | 3:11 | ||
| 10 | "Rock N Roll" | Smith, D./Fernandez, L. | Psycho Les Mos Def (additional production) |
5:02 | ||
| 11 | "Know That" | Smith, D./Dorrell, L. | Ayatollah | Talib Kweli |
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4:03 |
| 12 | "Climb" | Smith, D./Irvine, W./Dunn, T. | DJ Etch-A-Sketch Mos Def (additional production) Weldon Irvine (additional production) |
Vinia Mojica | 4:02 | |
| 13 | "Brooklyn" | Smith, D./Kennedy, D./Young, G. |
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5:09 | |
| 14 | "Habitat" | Smith, D./Irvine, W./Dunn, T. | DJ Etch-A-Sketch | 4:39 | ||
| 15 | "Mr. Nigga" | Smith, D./Prosper, D./Davis, J. | D-Prosper Mos Def (additional production) |
Q-Tip |
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5:12 |
| 16 | "Mathematics" | Smith, D./Martin, C. | DJ Premier | 4:06 | ||
| 17 | "May-December" | Smith, D./Njapa, C./Irvine, W. | 88-Keys Mos Def |
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3:29 |
[edit] Personnel
- Weldon Irvine - Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Producer, String Arrangements
- Jane - Design
- The Beatnuts - Producer
- Busta Rhymes - Performer
- Diamond D - Producer
- DJ Premier - Producer
- David Kennedy - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Producer
- Vinia Mojica - Vocals
- Q-Tip - Performer
- Mos Def - Bass, Percussion, Conga, Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Vibraphone, Executive Producer
- Kiku - Design
- Talib Kweli - Performer
- 88 Keys - Producer
- Etch-A-Sketch - Producer
- Shaka - Executive Producer
- Psycho Les - Producer
- Johnny Why - Guitar, Engineer
- Calabazitaz Tiernaz - Photography
- Alvaro Gonzalez-Campo - Photography
- Ayatollah - Producer
- Ge-Ology - Producer
[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
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| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 1999 | Black on Both Sides | #25 | #3 | |
[edit] References
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