Earlier this week (May 3), one of the most anticipated albums has released. Black Star’s No Fear Of Time arrived after nearly a quarter-century since the duo’s first and only other album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The two MCs have hinted towards a sophomore album sporadically over the last four years, eventually revealing that Madlib produced it. Last month, a title, release date, and guests confirmed the event. Like Talib and Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), Madlib is a product of the 1990s Underground Hip-Hop movement. Whereas Mos and Talib helped galvanize Rawkus Records into a mainstream movement, Madlib and his Lootpack crew were staples of Stones Throw Records, which eventually became a creative home to J Dilla, MF DOOM, and others.

At present, No Fear Of Time remains exclusive to Luminary, a podcast and audio platform that features Kweli’s The People’s Party and Yasiin, Kweli, and Dave Chappelle’s The Midnight Miracle, where news surrounding the album was revealed last month. In 2022, all three artists are independent and using that freedom to combat the current digital streaming platform model. As the album trailer suggested, the two veteran MCs have reason to steer listeners away from the traditional DSPs. Yasiin has previously unveiled albums as art exhibits, while some of his back catalog is removed from platforms. Unlike Kanye West’s Donda 2 move or direct-to-consumer strategies from Roc Marciano (and others), fans can legally access No Fear Of Time for less than $5. However, time will tell if Black Star’s distribution shifts and if that exclusivity alters the album’s reach.

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No Fear Of Time‘s merits are the subject of the latest episode of the What’s The Headline podcast. The Ambrosia For Heads team goes track-by-track through the 33-minute album after setting the table for what Black Star means to Hip-Hop and the nearly quarter-century between releases. The conversation ultimately agrees that in a developing 2022, this is the best album to have been released so far. Over the last four months, AFH has examined releases from Benny The Butcher, Dreamville, Pusha-T, Snoop Dogg, Fly Anakin, and many others through What’s The Headline. However, a tight concept, poetically wise lyricism, and “ancient futurism” in beats and rhymes make No Fear Of Time a compelling listen from three elite artists. Having no fear of time has led to a slow-cooked release that sounds like its process in a time of pressure and rushes. Notably, some of the announced guests (including Roc Marci) did not make the final nine songs, perhaps hinting at more Black Star music to come.

The What’s The Headline conversation also covers reports of Kendrick Lamar’s May release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, being a potential double album, and Pusha-T’s It’s Almost Dry, earning him his first #1 in a 20-plus-year career.

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The time codes for episode #82 of the What’s The Headline podcast (with hyperlinks to skip around):

0:00 Intro
0:33 Recapping the history of Black Star and Rawkus Records
8:42 Reviewing the solo careers of Mos Def and Talib Kweli
12:40 Revisiting the Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star album
18:48 Black Star’s No Fear Of Time album has been at least four years in the making
24:25 Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli released No Fear Of Time exclusively on Luminary
32:59 Black Star’s No Fear Of Time does not have curses
35:30 Talib Kweli explains the meaning of the album title
39:13 Reviewing Black Star’s No Fear Of Time song by song
41:36 o.G.
51:31 So be it
56:40 Sweetheart. Sweethard. Sweetodd.
59:19 My favorite band
1:04:52 The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing
1:07:25 Yonders
1:11:06 Supreme alchemy
1:15:32 Freequency featuring Black Thought
1:17:00 No fear of time
1:19:41 Where does No Fear Of Time stand among albums Madlib has produced?
1:22:10 Where the album fits alongside Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star?
1:23:58 Where Black Star’s No Fear Of Time stands among the best Hip-Hop albums of 2022
1:27:10 Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers may be two different albums
1:32:42 Pusha-T has his first #1 album with It’s Almost Dry

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AFH readers can catch regular discussions about the culture on our What’s The Headline. The podcast also has interviews with Joell Ortiz, AZ, Blu & Mickey Factz, Kurupt, Evidence, Skyzoo, Pharoahe Monch, Prince Paul & Don Newkirk, Statik Selektah, Lyric Jones, The LOX, MC Eiht, Havoc, Duckwrth, photographer T. Eric Monroe, and Lord Finesse. All episodes of the show are available to view or for listening wherever you stream your pods.