Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, a duet who makes it rain with insightful rhymes. Black Star straps poetry onto greased up wheels of tight beats, and with a gentle push, delivers it effortlessly straight to your dome. All the while, everything is being played out on clean, infectiously catchy background tracks.
Not settling for just hollow words that are strung together in a way that sounds clever to the ear, Black Star's rhymes have a clear purpose, whether that purpose be to make a point or to paint a picture. Take some words from "Brown Skin Lady" as an example:
You know what?
Without makeup you're beautiful
Whatcha need to paint the next face for
We're not dealing with the European standard of beauty tonight
Turn off the TV and put the magazine away
This song is a fitting tribute to sexy black women and dark-skinned women everywhere who live in a world where a uniform, European standard of beauty tries to pervade all aspects of culture and society.
Black Star gets philosophical as well and throws in their two cents on human nature in "Thieves in the Night." The chorus speaks for itself:
Not strong
Only aggressive
Not free
We only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Now who the nicest?
Not good but well-behaved
Chasing after death
so we can call ourselves brave?
Still living like mental slaves
Hiding like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis making you look twice
Mos Def and Talib Kweli make a strong case for being the "best alliance in hip-hop."
