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Ever Hear This Rare Mos Def & Talib Kweli Freestyle? (Audio)

One of the most disappointing moments in Hip-Hop relates not to something that happened, but rather something that didn't. After releasing the nearly universally acclaimed album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) and Talib never united again for a follow up. At the... Read more

Finding the GOAT: These MCs Are Going to Round 4

The polls have closed and, after a fiercely competitive and unpredictable Round 3, there are only 21 MCs remaining in the quest to name Hip-Hop's greatest MC, as determined by you. Since Round 1 began in September, more than 200 MCs have been considered and millions of Hip-Hop fans have... Read more

Ever See This Mos Def Freestyle From 1992? The Star Power is Already Clear (Video)

Long before his acclaimed collaboration with Talib Kweli, Mos Def was a star. Here's a look back at the then 19-year old MC (now known as Yasiin Bey), stepping to the mic and wrecking shop on Toronto's Power Move Radio show. The clip is an excerpt from the 1994 documentary... Read more

Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) Salutes MF DOOM By Performing 9 DOOM Songs (Video)

Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) has been vocal in the past about his love for fellow underground MC, MF DOOM. Bey has spent the past few months releasing videos of himself performing live covers of his favorite DOOM tracks as a project he's called BEYONDOOM. The visual EP sees Yasiin... Read more

Do Remember: Scritti Politti, Mos Def & Lee Majors – Tinseltown To Boogie Down Remix (Audio)

Heads may or may not be up on Scritti Politti. However, the band from Leeds, England has been working for almost as long as Hip-Hop has been around. Since 1977, singer Green Gartside has carried the outfit (with revolving fellow band members) through the decades, and dabbles with Synth Pop,... Read more

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): Kanye West vs. Mos Def…Who You Got

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

Ever See This Real Hip-Hop Moment with Mos Def, De La Soul, Nas, Will.I.Am & More (Video)

Update: Here's an extended version of the clip, with additional performances from Nas and Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey). Sometimes the best moments in life are those that are unplanned. Here's a look back at what has to be one of the most epic after parties of all-time.... Read more

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Mos Def vs. Phonte…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

Yasiin Bey Takes Over Petite Noir’s Till We Ghosts and Shines (Audio)

Yasiin Bey slips into "Umi Says" mode on Petite Noir's "Till We Ghosts." More than just a featured appearance, Bey (formerly Mos Def) takes over at 1 minute in and closes out the ambient, string-driven track. He progresses from meditative verse to plaintive wail. This is the kind of free... Read more

Yasiin Bey On Recent US Events: “We Are At A Watershed Moment For Humanity”

Besides rapping, singing, and acting, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) is a Spoken Word artist and a self-proclaimed humanitarian. Deliberately out of the spotlight for much of the last five years, Yasiin opted to put his thoughts to audio, surrounding the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner (among others),... Read more

Ever See This Cypher with Big Pun, DMX, Mos Def, Canibus, John Forte & Mic Geronimo? (Video)

Some moments are worth re-living...Like this cypher between Big Pun, DMX, Mos Def, Canibus, John Forte and Mic Geronimo. Back in the day, the 6 skilled MCs were at a table sharing a true Hip-Hop moment and decided to have a friendly cypher. Onlookers included Toure, Irv Gotti and others... Read more

Finding The GOAT: Mos Def vs. Pharoahe Monch…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

The Best Hip-Hop in May Included Slaughterhouse, KRS-One, Ghostface, Ab-Soul, Common, Cormega, The Roots & Much More (Audio Playlist)

Before we get too deep into June, here's a look back at some of the best Hip-Hop to drop in May and there was an abundance...You'll hear new music from Slaughterhouse, Cormega, KRS-One, Ab-Soul, Rapsody, Ghostface, Common, Mac Miller, De La Soul, Nitty Scott, MC, The Roots, Blu, Freddie Gibbs,... Read more

The Marvin Gaye & Mos Def Mash-Up Gets A Bonus Round In Yasiin Gaye: The Return Side Two (Mixtape)

Less than three months after musical-mixologist Amerigo Gazaway unleashed Yasiin Gaye: The Departure: Side 1, the mythical, digital tape gets turned over for the B-side. Yasiin Gaye: The Return: Side Two really captures Marvin Gaye's studio and vocal innovations, while deeply considering the late '90s Mos Def material often overlooked in... Read more

Mannie Fresh and Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) Release Some New Bounce Just in Time for Summer (Audio)

More than a year after the release of their single, "Black Jesus," Mannie Fresh and Yasiin Bey release another collabo and it's got that BOUNCE. Check out the instantly-catchy "Let's Go." Related: Mannie Fresh Premiers New Mos Def Collaboration, Talks Making Juvenile’s 400 Degreez With NPR (Video)... Read more

Here’s Another Timeless Blend of Marvin Gaye & Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) (Audio & Video)

Earlier this year, Amerigo Gazaway released Inner City Travelin' Man, one of the better projects of the year. The album blended the music and vocals of Marvin Gaye and Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def), under the collective name of Yasiin Gaye. Gazaway is readying part 2 of the release, Yasiin... Read more

DJ Premier Narrates a Mixtape of Some of His Classic and Rare Cuts (Mixtape)

The LA Leakers have released a new mixtape dedicated to some of the works of the one and only DJ Premier. The Audio Biography Of DJ Premier features 16 Primo productions--some well known and some more rare. Even more dope, the mixtape features commentary from Premier himself about some of... Read more

The Week in Video Featured KRS-One, Mos Def, 50 Cent, Nas, Scarface & More (Video Playlist)

The past week in Hip-Hop video featured Scarface announcing his first new album in 6 years, Nas talking Illmatic, a monster Mos Def/Marvin Gaye mashup, fire freestyles from Joey Bada$$ & ONYX, and new music videos from 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Big Boi, Yelawolf, Jon Connor, KRS-One, Diamond D, Pharoahe... Read more

Yasiin Gaye’s (Mos Def & Marvin Gaye) Ms. Fat Booty Gets A Mashed Up Visual Component (Video)

Just when it felt like Yasiin Gaye could get no bigger, the creator of the fully-produced Marvin Gaye and Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) mash-up project, Amerigo Gazaway, went to the visual medium. For the Gaye-enhanced remix of Mos Def's Black On Both Sides single, "Ms. Fat Booty," Gazaway morphed... Read more

Here’s Another Amazing Mos Def & Marvin Gaye Mashup. It Gets No Better (Audio)

In February, Amerigo Gazaway released an amazing project blending the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye with the artful rhymes of Yasiin Bey (primarily when he was known as Mos Def). That compilation was called Yasiin Gaye – The Departure: Side 1, leaving hope for a Side 2...Well, the wait is... Read more

Black Star Isn’t The Only Squad Busting Raps In Vans. Murs & Jabee Keep It Moving (Video)

Remember the Black Star "Definition" video? Everybody from Common to El-P to Pharoahe Monch hopped in the van driven by DJ Hi-Tek while Talib Kweli and the Mighty Mos Def kicked rhymes influenced by Boogie Down Productions as well as Hip-Hop perceived threats in 1998. Over 15 years later, Murs... Read more

Marvin Gaye & Mos Def’s Yasiin Gaye Mash-Up Is Here. The Departure: Side 1 (Mixtape)

One of the biggest hits of 2014 on Ambrosia For Heads has been Yasiin Gaye. The mash-up experiment by Amerigo Gazaway, combining the music of Marvin Gaye and Mos Def, crosses time, space, and genre to show that great, enduring music has no confines. It's almost eerie how one artist... Read more

More Marvin Gaye & Mos Def Mash-Ups, This Time Tackling A Complicated Thing Called Love (Audio)

After the strong reaction to "Inner City Travelin' Man" last week, the Yasiin Gaye (Mos Def + Marvin Gaye) blend, another track is unveiled. This time it's (Marvin's deeply personal) "Anna's Love," a combination of Marvin's "Anna's Song" (from Here, My Dear), and Yasiin Bey's "Love." Besides urban living and... Read more

Some Classic Marvin Gaye & Some Classic Mos Def Mixed Together Like They’re Soul Mates (Audio)

The quality in mash-up mixes are really improving lately. From Girltalk to DJ Z-Trip to others, the once-gimmicky (to some Heads) practice of intermixing songs from different genres and eras has gotten technically strong, and artful. 2DopeBoyz put the spotlight on this new "Yasiin Gaye" project from Amerigo Gazaway, who... Read more

Here’s an MLK Day Playlist That Looks at the State of the Nation Through Hip-Hop (Audio & Video)

As we've done on MLK day over the last few years, we've put together a playlist that reflects the increasingly complex state of the nation more than 50 years since Dr. King's march on Washington. There's cause for celebration and reason for lamentation, and everything in between. Here are various... Read more

Yasiin Bey To Honor Muhammad Ali’s Birthday With 3 Exclusives From Africa & New Series (Video)

Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) is a man of surprises. The Brooklyn, New York MC is reclusive at times, and extremely artistically active at others. With less than 24 hours notice, Yasiin has announced on January 17th (5:30 PM EST), he will celebrate champion boxer/social activist Muhammad Ali's... Read more

Madlib Gives A Rare Interview, Confirms & Plays New Music With Mos Def & MF Doom (Audio)

When Kanye West rapped, "Don't do no press, but get the most press," he was probably overlooking one of his own favorite producers. Madlib has many incarnations, but he never seems to like to talk about them. Just as BBC television's Zane Lowe seems to get unrivaled access to 'Ye,... Read more

Preservation – SePtember 1200 (Barry White Tribute Mixtape)

Preservation is a producer/DJ closely associated with Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def. The touring-mate of the former Rawkus Records standout offered up The REcstatic earlier this year, a fully-remixed version of Mos' 2009 Downtown Records album (which along with Madlib and Oh No, Preservation produced). After doing that acclaimed re-working... Read more

They Die By Dawn – The Bullits ft Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu (Video)

The video for They Die By Dawn, the collabo between Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu and The Bullits, plays like an extended trailer for the eponymous film which looks pretty epic. The movie is a virtual who's who, with appearances from Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Kenneth Williams, Rosario Dawson, Erykah... Read more

Living Legends: Yasiin Bey (Playlist)

Dante Smith. Mos Def. Yasiin Bey. No matter the name, it still equals the same result--DOPE MC. The gifted rapper, singer and actor has been in the game for more than 20 years both as a solo artist and as a member of groups like Urban Thermo Dynamics and, of... Read more

Yasiin Bey Performs in Paris (Video)

Yasiin Bey recently performed in Paris with the Robert Glasper Experiment. Here's some video of the event, which includes a guest appearance by Kanye West who performed Can't Tell Me Nothing. Check it out below.  Related:  Mos Def – The Light is not Afraid of the Dark (Prod. Kanye West)... Read more

Mos Def – The Light is Not Afraid of the Dark (Prod. Kanye West)

Here's a previously unreleased track from Mos Def (back when that was his name) that was produced by Kanye West. It was created during the Tru3 Magic sessions. Not sure why it didn't make the album, because the joint is HOT! Check out "The Light is Not Afraid of the... Read more

AFH: The Sweet 16 Playlist (Audio)

As you gear up for the NCAA Sweet 16, here's another type of sweet 16. Check out 16 of the best hip-hop songs from 16 years ago--1997 to be exact. You'll hear music from Biggie, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Scarface, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Tha Dogg Pound, KRS-One, Camp Lo, The Firm,... Read more

The Bullits – They Die By Dawn ft Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu + They Die By Dawn Trailer (Video)

Whoa. Here's something you don't hear every day--Yasiin Bey and Jay Electronica flowing over a Spaghetti Western track. The song is for an upcoming Western featuring Erykah Badu, The Wire's Michael Kenneth Williams, Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington, Bokeem Woodbine and more. Both the soundtrack and the... Read more

AFH: For the Love of Hip-Hop (Playlist)

We do it all for the love, y'all...the love of hip-hop. On this Valentine's Day, here's a playlist celebrating the many expressions of love in hip-hop. You'll hear music from Nas, OutKast, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Method Man, Slum Village, Heavy D, Mos Def, UGK and more. Check... Read more

Talib Kweli Speaks on Diddy Stepping to Mos Def About His Verse in Children’s Story (Video)

"Me and you kid we gonna make some cash, Jackin' old beats and makin' the dash... " Those were words from Mos Def in Black Star's classic, Children's Story. It seems when the song was first created Diddy thought it was shots toward him and stepped to Mos. Here's what... Read more

Yasiin Bey recites Muhammad Ali (Video)

A short version of Yasiin Bey reciting Muhammad Ali's "Float" poem surfaced a few months ago. Here's the full video. Check it out below. Related: Mister Cee - The Best of Black Star Mix (Mixtape)... Read more

Black Star perform at the Lyricist Lounge 20th Anniversary Celebration (Video)

More footage has surfaced from the Lyricist Lounge 20th anniversary celebration that took place earlier in the year. Check out this video of Black Star performing part of Astronomy (8th Light). Related: Black Thought and Prodigy Perform at the Lyricist Lounge 20-Year Reunion Party (Video)... Read more

Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) – Life in Marvelous Times (Video)

Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) graced the stage in Brooklyn last night with a special performance with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. Here's a blisteringly hot performance of Life in Marvelous Times. The live strings make it sound epic. Check out the video. Related: Yasiin Bey performs Umi Says with The... Read more

Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) – Bey

Here are some new verses from Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) over the John track in honor of the birthdays of Malcolm X and The Notorious BIG. Malcolm X was born on May 19th and Biggie would have been 40 today. Check out Bey.  Related:  Rare footage of Biggie performing... Read more

Mos Def – Rarities, Feature, B-Sides (6 Mixtapes)

The folks over at RealHipHopHead have been doing a bunch of dope mixtape series where they do a deep dive into rarities, b-sides and features of artists. They've done everyone from Jay Electronica to Blu to Nas. Their most recent series features Mos Def (pre-Yasiin Bey). We hit you with... Read more

Rap music started with 2 turntables and a microphone, no doubt, but there’s something special when a dope MC’s voice combines with other instruments. Here’s a playlist of 13 songs that feature some if not all live instrumentation on the track–maybe drums, a bass line, horns or all the above (Playlist)

You'll hear music from DJ Quik, Eazy-E, Elzhi, Big KRIT, The Roots, De La Soul, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Grand Puba, The Pharcyde and 2Pac. You can listen to the whole thing below. Sit back and experience hip-hop Live & Direct.... Read more

Behind the scenes look at the making of the Trayvon Martin tribute featuring Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) and Dead Prez (Video)

Here's a behind the scenes look at the making of a Trayvon Martin tribute that's being done by Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) and Dead Prez. The song will be called Made You Die and is set to the track from Nas' Made You Look. Check out the video below.... Read more

Reflections on Trayvon Martin (Playlist) and a petition to prosecute his killer.

I've been searching for a song to capture my feelings around the senseless killing of Trayvon Martin and lack of prosecution of his killer but I haven't found one. It's probably because I have a multitude of emotions ranging from rage to sorrow to reflection. Here are some songs that... Read more

Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) – Forever Alive & Sexy Sax Man (Video)

Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def) performed a bunch of new songs in Paris a few weeks ago. A couple of videos dropped previously and now here are 2 additional songs. Check out his performances of Forever Alive & Sexy Sax Man below. Previously: Yasiin Bey - Niggas in Poorest (Video)... Read more

Mos Def – Rarities, Features, B-Sides (Vol. 4) (Mixtape)

The folks over at RealHipHopHead have been killing it with their series of compilations. They've put together series of B-sides, rarities and features for the likes of Nas, Blu and more. The latest 6-part compilation focus on the work of Mos Def (before he was Yasiin Bey). Click here to... Read more

Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) performs Sunshine Screwface and Quiet Dog (Video)

Here are 2 dope performances by Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) of Sunshine Screwface (performed by J. Dilla) and Quiet Dog. Check out both videos below. Click here for his N*ggas in Poorest video. Sunshine Screwface http://vimeo.com/38084710 Quiet Dog http://vimeo.com/38028615... Read more

Young Guru Speaks on N*ggas in Paris vs. N*ggas in Poorest (Video)

Young Guru (engineer extraordinaire for Kanye West & Jay-Z and ill DJ) steadily has been establishing himself as a hip-hop scholar. Check out what he has to say about N*ggas in Paris vs. N*ggas in Poorest. Rather than pit the two songs against each other he reconciles them and argues... Read more