Danger Rising

In a word, amalgamation is the best way to describe Mos Def’s new album, The New Danger. Seventeen new tracks, which show the Mos Def in a whole new light from previous outings such as Black Star and his 1999 album, Black On Both Sides. That’s right, 1999. How can someone not put out an album for so long, and then expect it to be accepted by the hip-hop community?Honestly, it doesn’t seem that Mos Def is shooting for just the hip-hop community. This album is a combination of musical styles and influences, and is much, much more than hip-hop. On the opening part of “The Boogie Man Song”, we know that Mos Def has something extremely different in store. With a minimalist jazz/fusion feel to it, it sets the stage to whole new world. The next track, “Freaky Black Greetings”, has a strong Living Color influence, with the heavy grinding guitars, as well some funk breakdowns that just groove like George Clinton.

The styles are all over the place, including traditional Asian music, metal, pop; the list goes on. One of the most amazing songs on this album is “Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March” which has a beautiful blues-club feel to it. The hip-hop is still here, with strong tracks like “War” and “Champion Requiem.”

The closest thing to compare this album to is Outkast’s two CD opus, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The main difference here is that What Outkast did in two discs, Mos Def has done on one. The New Danger is amazing, without a doubt, and needs to be in everyone’s collection, now.