Remember how, during the lockdowns for COVID-19 in 2020, livestream performances were all the rage? Well, Yasiin Bey (who you might know as backpack rap pioneer Mos Def) hasn’t forgotten; he’ll be employing the livestream performance format as he debuts his first new music in five years, Money Christmas. The performance is slated for December 15 at 2 PM EST / 11 AM PST on Bey’s Bandcamp page. Access to the stream will be $7.99; afterward, fans will be able to access recordings of the video and audio tracks by purchasing limited-edition merch — including hoodies, stickers, and T-shirts — featuring a QR code linking to the archive.
Leave it to the perennial pioneer to push an innovative way to engage with and support the music. Bey’s most recent project, 2019’s Negus, took the form of an installation at Art Basel Hong Kong. Recorded in London in 2015, Negus will reportedly never be released on physical media or streaming services, meaning it can only be experienced live — sorta like that one-of-one Wu-Tang Clan album the Pharma Bro held hostage a few years ago. More recently, Bey reunited with Black Star partner in rhyme Talib Kweli to release their second album as a group, No Fear Of Time, nearly 25 years after their debut. Once again, they innovated; the album was initially only available exclusively on the podcast platform Luminary. Last year, though, they finally made it available on vinyl via Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Money Christmas will stream live on 12/15 and replay for 48 hours on Bandcamp.