Back when Yasiin Bey was known as Mos Def, he and Talib Kweli formed the group Black Star and released an album under the same name. It went on to be hailed as one of the most lyrically and culturally dense albums in the Hip Hop archives, and listeners are excited for the duo to reunite for a new project.
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In 2019, Talib Kweli began teasing and slowly revealing information in regards to the album. For a while, it only existed as a concept, an idea sought after but sat incomplete for decades. That summer, Kweli confirmed that the album (as it existed at that time) was completed, and that Madlib handled the production on the project. The only issue during that period was sample clearances, so fans began waiting for the body of work to hit the streets.
In early 2021, Kweli stated that the sample clearances were underway and that the album was complete. Obviously, his other statements didn’t result in an album release, so fans took this statement with many grains of salt. The saving grace, though, was that Black Star debuted a new song in May of the same year, doing so through their good friend Dave Chappelle’s podcast. But alas, no album came from the new update.
Although the newest update should also be received with understandable skepticism, Kweli took to his Instagram page to speak on the potential project:
The new Black Star album was recorded in hotel rooms and dressing rooms across the globe. I love how my brother @yasiinbey pushes me musically. #blackstarforever follow @blackstarkeepshining today…
Are you looking forward to new music from Black Star? Share your thoughts in the comments below.