The Ecstatic

The Ecstatic by Mos Def (Downtown) ASIN: B001GSV3F6

Summary

Mos Def's 2009 (and most recent album) is 16 tracks long.  His collaborations with Slick Rick on "Auditorium", and with his former band mate (and candidate for world's greatest rapper of all time) Talib Kweli on "History" are highlights.  "Auditorium" is a shapeless description of negative feelings until the first 8 Slick Rick lines, which masterfully locate the action in Iraq and describe the feelings of the locals towards G.I.s -- despite the dark tone at the beginning of each verse, the song becomes a celebration of art and thought.  Slick Rick turns "a young Iraqi kid" into "the Elvis of Baghdad" when he raps over "the Middle Eastern instruments."  Mos Def keeps the idea of art triumphing over political difference from feeling corny by showing how music can be a place where cultures can intersect -- the backing track for the song includes a Middle Eastern instrumental arrangement in a reflection of the sentiment that Slick Rick offers.  The hook of "History" is that Kweli and Mos Def rap over a record that keeps changing speed.  This provides them an opportunity to show their flexibility and the full range of their skill.  While this may sound contrived, compare the variety of this single song with a Snoop Dogg album.  His style is so limited that the songs begin to sound the same.

Critical Evaluation

The album opens with Mos Def whispering an Arabic phrase that loosely translates as "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate."  This is immediately followed by a clip of Malcolm X.  The album cover is a still photograph from the film Killer of Sheep directed by Charles Burnett.  The album cover gives a truer indication of the album's content than the Malcolm X quotation (though the politic does work its way into the album, sometimes in subtle ways: being joyful and black seems political at times).  The album is more of an artistic endeavor than a political one.  The album consists of a series of short songs, often without a chorus.  The result is that the album feels like a cohesive whole even though there isn't necessarily a unifying theme.  Though the notion of the ecstatic does flow throughout, the album tends to find a positive message throughout.  It's a pleasure to listen to.

Reader’s Annotation

Mos Def returns with his best album in 10 years, and it's an artful statement.  Come for the inventive instrumentation (like the tuba bass line on "Twilite Speedball"), stay for the Blackstar reunion on "History."

Information about the author

From the website Allmusic.com: 

Initially regarded as one of the most promising rappers to emerge in the late '90s, Mos Def turned to acting in subsequent years as music became a secondary concern for him. He did release new music from time to time, including albums such as The New Danger (2004), but his output was erratic and seemingly governed by whim. Mos Def nonetheless continued to draw attention, especially from critics and underground rap fans, and his classic breakthrough albums -- Black Star (1998), a collaboration with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek; and Black on Both Sides (1999), his solo debut -- continued to be revered, all the more so as time marched forward. Mos Def often used his renown for political purposes, protesting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Jena Six incident in 2007, for instance.  (Birchmeier, 2013).

Genre

Music: Hip-Hop

Curriculum Ties

The album could be used in a social studies class to describe responses to Iraq war and the Bush administration.  It is also an example of innovative musical ideas in Hip-Hop, so a class or club on music production might get a lot of mileage out of the album.  With its quotation from Malcolm X, it might also be interesting to discuss the album in light of the civil rights movement and discuss what impact that era may have had on the album or what connections could be made between 2009 and 1964.

Booktalking Ideas

1) While this isn't perhaps a booktalking idea for the album, it's interesting that Mos Def chose a still from the film Killer of Sheep.  The album might be useful in a film talk about that movie -- an art film by the African American director Charles Burnett.

2) The album speaks for itself.  Playing a track from the album would be a good hook.  The songs "The Embassy," and "No Hay Nada Mas" might be particularly good for encouraging listening.  "No Hay Nada Mas" is in Spanish, which might be appealing.  The track "Roses" is perhaps the weakest.  It's actually a fine song by Georgia Anne Muldrow, but beyond the added beat, the song is little changed from her album.  Mos Def adds what feels like extemporaneous rap lyrics over her song, but it doesn't add much to Muldrow's track.  The song would work as well without Mos Def.  (It's the only misstep on the album.)

Reading Level/Interest Age

8th grade and up

Challenge Issues

Strong language; political lyrics. 

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the work I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

Mos Def is one of Hip-Hop's biggest luminaries.  His public profile is made even higher by his appearance in Hollywood films and his political action (recently he was force-fed on camera to show what inmates at Guantanamo are going through).  He was also featured on the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach.

References

American Library Association. (1999). Strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library materials. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips

Birchmeier, J. (2013). Mos Def: Biography. Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mos-def-mn0000927416