Videos : Blackstar

Respiration

Black Star is a hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

Black Star arose from the underground movement of the late 1990s, which was in large part due to Rawkus Records, an independent record label stationed in New York City. They released one self titled album. Though the record achieved little commercial success, they (and other members of the Native Tongues Posse) helped shape underground alternative rap and helped bring it further into the mainstream eye. Both have gone on to greater commercial and critical success in separate solo careers.

Black Star's emergence into the hip-hop scene came at a crucial point in music history. Following the deaths of both Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, hip-hop was consumed in a world of chaos. Black Star attempted to bring reconciliation in the wake of these violent deaths. The self titled album contains various references to Biggie and Tupac, and attempts to create reconciliation in the hip-hop world: “I said one, two, three. It’s kinda dangerous to be an M.C. They shot Tupac and Biggie. Too much violence in hip-hop.”

Beyond the allusions to Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, the introduction to Definition [1] serves as a musical homage to the artists. To begin, 'Definition' suggests the anti-violence theme by looking all the way back to 1988. Boogie Down Productions' 'Stop the Violence,' has the following chorus: "One, Two, Three, the crew is called BDP, and if you wanna go to the tip top, stop the violence in hip hop.' 'Definition' begins with another homage to BDP, beginning the song with a modernized replica of KRS's chant at the beginning of Remix for P is Free.

A sample contained in the song "Brown Skin Lady," is from the film Chameleon Street and has generated the often repeated and often misattributed quote, "I'm a victim brother. I'm a victim of 400 years of conditioning. The man has programmed my conditioning. Even my conditioning has been conditioned!"

In 2001, Black Star performed "Money Jungle" with Ron Carter and John Patton for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to Duke Ellington, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease

In 2005, hip hop website TheSituation.co.uk reported Kweli has said that a new Black Star album was "in the pipeline".[2] On Talib Kweli's Myspace he posted up a video saying that "We're going to find Mos Def and put it on camera that there will be a second Black Star album."

In 2006, Mos and Kweli appeared together in the movie Dave Chappelle's Block Party, alongside Erykah Badu, Common, Jill Scott, Dead Prez and The Fugees, among others. They even contributed a new song, "Born & Raised", to the movie's soundtrack.

In August 2010 during a House of Blues performance in Houston, Texas, Talib Kweli leaked a recently recorded and upcoming Black Star track to the delight of the fans.

In early 2011, a new song rumored to be from the second Black Star album was leaked via DJ J Rocc from Stones Throw Records. The song is reportedly produced by Madlib and is untitled as of late. The snippet only includes a verse by Mos Def, but adlibs by Kweli are heard near the end of the snippet.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums

Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998)

[edit] Singles

"Definition"(1998)
"Respiration" (1999)
"Thieves In The Night" (1999)

[edit] Other collaborations

"Know That" from Mos Def's 1999 album, Black on Both Sides
"Money Jungle" from the Red Hot Organization's 2001 album Red Hot + Indigo
"Joy" from Talib Kweli's 2002 album, Quality
"Supreme Supreme" from Talib Kweli's 2005 album, Right About Now
"Bright as the Stars" from Mos Def's 2005 single, "Ah Ha"
"What It Is" from Talib Kweli's 2005 mixtape, The Beautiful Mixtape Vol. 2
"Born & Raised" from the 2006 soundtrack, Dave Chappelle's Block Party
"This Means You", produced by DJ Hi-Tek on the album Train Of Thought
"What's Beef", live from Chappelle's Show
"Get By [remix]", from Kanye West's mixtape I'm Good
"Beautiful Struggle", a remix of the Mary J. Blige song Beautiful, featured on Talib Kweli's 2004 album The Beautiful Struggle
"Little Brother", The Hurricane (1999 film)
"Hip Hop (Screamixx)", Hip-Hop Docktrine: The Official Boondocks Mixtape
"History", from Mos Def's 2009 album The Ecstatic
"Just Begun", from Reflection Eternal song also featuring Jay Electronica & J. Cole, Revolutions per Minute