GIG REVIEW: Mos Def
- Posted on November 27, 2007 10:39 AM
- 1 comment
Islington Academy, London
Review by Ash Akhtar
Back in September 2006, Mos Def was charged with disorderly conduct after performing in public despite having a permit to perform on the back of a flatbed truck. Poor mite. The footage (available here on youtube) sees him being grappled by the US fuzz and bundled into the back of a van, hollering something about the state of the Katrina aftermath. Sadly, he’s drowned out by shouts of “We love you Mos Def” and, the more inspired “Yo, that’s Mos Def!”
Curiously enough, his album Tru3 Magic was also due out that very month. A publicity stunt masquerading as charitable yet not philanthropic – that’s my cynical summary of the whole ridiculous affair.
And so it came to pass that Mos Def did once create a magic debut opus album, Black on both sides, upon ye now defunct Rawkus records. And ye, verily did the crowds rightly laud justified praise upon him. Then didst he sign to Geffen and make many a film and release consistently not so good records…
So after managing to sell out Shepherd’s Bush Empire, I was impressed to see a second date at the Islington Academy had been scheduled. Though every solo album he has made since Black on both sides has contained some spurious espousings, I was glad to finally get my chance to see the co-star of that film with that bloke off the office in it.
Hip-hop shows invariably consist of the following elements: too many people on stage, inaudible vocals, proselytizing acapellas and disjointed mixes of other people’s songs. Mos Def has two DJs. Why, I’m not precisely sure. Perhaps it’s to make up the space on stage – of which, even in this small venue – there appears to be acres. Or maybe it’s because Mos’s show requires 5 rewinds to get the crowd hype, yo. Whatever the reason, Mos’s set is littered with material from his latest albums. “I wanna do some new stuff. London, is that alright?” Actually – can you just do Black on both sides in its entirety please?
Mos generates good rapport with his audience and tracks like Boogie Man, Hip Hop, Got and Umi says set the place off. When Mos drifts into acapella territory, his flow creates hysterical, maniacal reactions from sections in the crowd. None of whom can make out exactly what he’s saying – but his flow is sick, yo! And that’s what counts. Now adorned with a towel, Mos rather resembles a lonely boxing trainer hyping a crowd of automaton boxers, who will comply with his every command. Boxers who he calls Fonzies...
Mos has recently worked alongside Kanye West (Two Words) and took the opportunity to praise Kanye. So much so that his DJ(s) played I got a Woman (the sample lifted for Gold digger). alongside numerous other songs leading into the enormous Ms Fat Booty. With a flourish worthy of Godfather James Brown, Mos and his DJs break into one final pose and exit stage left. It's not that Mos is a bad performer, but his music career suffered as soon as he started playing the Hollywood game.
As Public Enemy once said Burn Hollywood, burn. And give us back the man who, though sometimes misguided, is a rapper who genuinely has something to say.
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Comments (1)
arush
ash, you're an idiot.
Posted on November 28, 2007 10:09 PM
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