Released - 6/9/09
Label - Downtown Music, LLC
BLURB - Wow! This really blew me away. 'The Ecstatic' is pure hip hop with a purpose and a message...those two usually don't go hand in hand. I actually read a great deal about Mos Def in the book, 'It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post Hip Hop Generation' by M.K. Asante, and was a casual listener to Mos before this record. Yet, I never really threw myself into his visions and ideals; I would simply throw on Ms. Fat Booty when I wanted to hear a good groove. 'The Ecstatic' an is open-ended story of Mos' life in Brooklyn through varying perspectives, that unintentionally lays the blue print for what hip hop should and could be.
Rating - 10 out of 10
FULL STORY - So right out of the chute I noticed two main elements that popularize today's hip hop tracks, that were nowhere to be found on this record. Profanity and the use of the chorus. Every top hit in today's rap world is pumped with vulgarities and slurs, and is almost used as a way to market the artist and draw in an audience. It's so commonplace that these words end up losing their meaning, diminishing their importance, and distracting the listener from the music. The average listener can also be distracted by the choruses of songs. I understand their importance in today's music, but when you are conditioned to hearing that chorus or hook every 45 seconds, a song can become tired and predictable. By avoiding profanities and for the most part, choruses, Mos Def puts you in the room with him. It's just his words, thoughts and moods - and you are allowed to experience all of this with no obstacles on 'The Ecstatic.'
'Peace before everything / God before anything / Love before anything / Real before anything / Home before any place / Truth before anything...'
This is something you live your life by...and it's in a rap song? It's simple, it's to the point and it's repeated throughout, 'Priority.' The song clocks in at 1:23, and with the above phrase circling the speakers, that's all it needs. Mos generates power through simplicity here, as is the theme with this record. Sometimes it's just a really smart phrase while other times it's nearly a whole song.
'The way I feel, sometimes it's too hard to sit still. Things are so passionate, times are so real. Sometimes I try to chill, mellow down, blow a smoke. Smile on my face, but it's really no joke. You feel it in the street - that the people breath without hope. They're going through the motions, they're dimming down their focus. The focus gets clear and the light turns sharp. The eyes go teary, the mind grows weary. I speak it so clearly sometimes you don't hear me. I push it past the bass, no nations got to feel me. I feel it in my bones.'
Mos speaks his mind here on, 'Auditorium.' His lyrics are sincere and his delivery is very personable. This makes it very easy to simply listen to what he has to say. Another thing to note here is that at no time does Mos Def become preachy. 'The Ecstatic' is his, made for and by himself. His act is not forced upon the listener in any way, which results in added credibility - there is no agenda.
What also makes this record so easy to enjoy is the fact the music and beats are just as well done as the lyrics. The majority of the tracks have a very old school feel and minimalistic groove, but it always works. It never gets boring or redundant. And if you don't want to hear those classic drum beats, Mos recruits Chad Hugo of the Neptunes to lay down a very heavy, 'Twilite Speedball.' Even 'Life in Marvelous Times' (my favorite track), there is a very modern, almost a club feel to it. From the snare claps to the synth, the music sounds similar to something T-Pain would have been featured on...but actually good.
Mos Def also switches up the style on, 'Quiet Dog' with just a mere clap track. If anyone else would try to rhyme over such an under produced beat it would sound like some terrible demo that Joey in Queens made in his basement. Mos brings an incredible energy and creativity through his rhyming structures and lyrics to the song, punching it up to a new level.
'Roses' showcases the emcee's diversity and willingness to step out of the traditional hip hop mold. This song is like a blend of Lauryn Hill and Sa-Ra Creative Partners. Wandering, yet steady piano chords help to form a soulful vibe. Blackstar partner Talib Kweli predictably and perfectly, teams up with Mos for, 'History' on yet another soulful groove. A couple subtle guitar riffs and a looping sample provide all that is needed for this smooth track. 'Casa Bey,' the record's closing track has production value bursting at the seems. A full horn section, keyboard, synth and some African percussion create a powerful and meaningful ending to a powerful and meaningful album.
Diversity, intelligence and creativity are around every turn of, 'The Ecstatic.' This will go down as one of the best hip hop records of the best ten years, at least in my eyes. Real hip hop is back.
Tracks
1.) Supermagic
2.) Twilite Speedball
3.) Auditorium
4.) Wahid
5.) Priority
6.) Quiet Dog
7.) Life in Marvelous Times
8.) The Embassy
9.) No Hay Nada Mas
10.) Pistola
11.) Pretty Dancer
12.) Workers Camp
13.) Revelations
14.) Roses
15.) History
16.) Casa Bey
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