Fans of old school New York rap have something to be excited about today, Talib Kweli has just confirmed a Black Start reunion is on the way. The group was formed in 1997 in Brooklyn, New York, and consists of Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, better known by his former stage name Mos Def. Black Star’s first and only album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, was released with critical acclaim yet it struggled with commercial success only gaining a moderate amount of attention. Even though the group hasn’t released any albums since 1998, they have consistently collaborated with one another on a number of singles and unrelated projects to Black Star. But today the wait is over, 21 years later Black Star has announced a new Madlib produced album is on the way.

It has been nearly two years since Kweli and Bey first teased the idea of creating a new album. But that announcement also came two years after Bey announced that he was done with the entertainment industry, so many fans were left speculating whether or not a Black Star reunion album would actually be on the way. But in a recent interview on Ebro Darden’s Beats 1 radio show, Talib Kweli called in to join DJ Premier and discuss the new project and the inspiration behind the music.  When asked about the album, Kweli said, “The project with Madlib is done, we just trying to figure out when and how to release it.” Not much information regarding the album has been revealed, but Black Star has released the name of the project, One Of The Best Yet.

In an unaired clip that was leaked on twitter, Talib Kweli also had this to say about the new Black Star album coming out, “That’s a confirmed thing. I listen to it all the time.” Black Star is currently embarking on a small tour around North America, although no word has been said as to whether or not they were playing new music, fans can still get tickets for their shows here. If the album is anything like the name of the project, then fans can expect an instant classic of gritty old school hip-hop.

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford