Customer Reviews

The New Danger [Vinyl]

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(36)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Let's be honest and say this off the bat. Black on Both Sides was a Hip-Hop classic. The New Danger is an experimental album, showing creative genius far from what you expect out of hip-hop. The album was primarily recorded with Black Jack Johnson, Mos Def's all black rock band. In fact the title of the album was supposed to be named that until the other Jack Johnson became popular. This album will surprise you, Mos Def fan or not.

The album starts off with the soulful poetic "Boogie Man Song." Fans can expect something along the lines of "Climb" from Black on Both Sides. "Freaky Black Geetings" is a rock/funk song, with barely any vocals from Mos. He doesn't rap or sing on this one, just kinda sounds like he's jamming out to the music. "Ghetto Rock" is a hard bass thumping track with distorted guitars. Mos raps on this one, but it's more rock-rap than hip-hop. The lyrics aren't too challenging, nor is the flow, but the song still is nice. "Zimzallabim" is just a straight up rock song with Mos rapping over it.

You might be wondering at this point where are all the straight up hip-hop tracks on a supposedly hip-hop album?? Finally Mos gives those fans what they want, although it's a bit disappointing once you here the opening of the "Rape Over". You'll be quick to note it's basically a remake of the first verse to Jay-Z's "The Takeover". The exact same beat, the flow and lyrics are meant to match and play off Jay's song also. Plus it's only a minuet and a half. This song really should have been left to a mixtape, it's not really original and certainly falls short for the first rap track. "Blue Black Jack" borrows a Muddy Water's guitar riff and attempts the whole Blues genre. (If you haven't noticed the track titles are all too descriptive of the song). The next track is more of a laid back, jam session again containing little vocals by Mos Def. "Sex, Love & Money" is a bass thumping, concert featuring what feels like a full orchestra! Mos Def drops a rap here showing off a real nice flow on this one.

"Sunshine" finally shows off the Hip-Hop in Mos Def. From the opening you'll just know Kanye West produced this one. A nice track, with some solid lyrics, but the two have done better together. "Close Edge" you might recognize from his spot on "Chappelle's Show" from season one. Mos drops some really nice conscious lyrics, although the track is really over-produced with background sounds. Still a solid track. Mos Def get's back on the Soul tip with "The Panties" which uses some violen samples with a subtle electric guitar and eventually some bass. "War" is pretty self explanatory as far as the subject matter, has several tracks of Mos's vocals chanting together the lyrics. About halfway through the song the beat changes into a hard rock song similar to the second half of "Rock & Roll" from his first album.

The next track is all too similar to "The Rape Over" as Mos Def & new-comer Minnesota rap over Nas's "No Idea's Original"... it's good, but you still just feel kinda like your listening to a mixtape with this one. Speaking of Minnesota, he handles a solid chunk of the production on this album (You might remember seeing his first production credits on Ghostface's Pretty Tony Album). With these two recycled tracks it makes you upset that unreleased tracks like "What's Beef?" wasn't put on here instead.

"Modern Marvel" has Mos again coming back to soul and appropriately singing over Marvin Gaye samples of Flyin' High & What's Going On. Mos kick some raps on the second half of the track taking the Marvin Gaye theme to the next level, asking What would Marvin think if he could see today? This is a powerful track and certainly one of the best. Following is another classic "Life Is Real" produced by Molecules. Now this is what most of you were expecting from this album. On the same page as Black on Both Sides, yet a step-up. A great sample and some real deep lyrics on this track.

"The Easy Spill" sounds like it has to have been recorded live, it's another rock track. This one gets a bit more repetitive than the other rock tracks. Chances are you'll want to skip it to check out the "The Beggar" which is a combination of Soul with the elements of a rock ballad. If you're familiar with Cody Chesnutt (wrote and sang The Roots' "The Seed", it's really similar to one of his tracks. One of the better tracks.

The album ends on a similar note to his last, with an 88 Keys track. This time, Mos Def raps over the beat, sounding more like a track on his last album. Excellent way to end the album, bringing it home with a solid hip-hop track.

I'll be honest, this was not what I was looking for at all. So, people be warned cause you'll get blown away. This is a creative experimental album, and in that sense comes off as a pretty solid effort, however it still is missing something. The music quality is really good (Mos Def can actually sing, unlike Andre 3000). I was a little dissapointed because I was waiting for a follow up to his last album for five years, but what you get is completely different. If you like N.E.R.D. or Cody ChesnuTT, chances are you'll enjoy this effort too. If you're looking for a Black on Both Sides follow up, as I was, you might have to wait another five years.

In the sense of a pure hip-hop album you might be disappointed. But, if you like good music no matter what kind of genre it is, you'll be satisfied with this album, it has almost every genre you could think of.

You know everytime I read a review that says something about this album's 'eclectism', it makes me uneasy. Uneasy because people make efforts to pigeonhole music in convenient packages for their listeners. Even since the Medina Green days, Mos Def had a thought process firmly entrenched in listening to the tune of his own drummer. This release, just as Black On Both Sides was, is true to the artist's vision at the time of its creation.

Does it sound like Black on Both Sides? No, it doesn't. But did Voodoo sound like Brown Sugar? Did Embrya sound like Urban Hang Suite? Did the Blueprint sound like the Black Album? If I haven't gotten my pt across with these redundant questions, then I guess its that music appreciators must be willing to be flexible with their artist as they experience growing pains and expansion.

The New Danger is an album that strikes a balance between unabashed experimentation and artistic maturity. Mos Def is not an emcee's emcee anymore. In direct contrast to the scathing social commentary found on Black On Both Sides, Mos Def's lyrics on tracks like "Sex, Love and Money" and "Close Edge" meander without stiking any lasting impressions. But that doesn't mean that he isn't exhibiting growth, it merely signals another direction.

One of the album's standout tracks, "Blue Black Jack", features a blues-riffing mos def punctuated by the brilliance of Shuggie Otis' guitar. The boogeyman song, produced by a suprising Raphael Saadiq, is a trip hoppy gem that has Mos attempting to woo the fairer sex with his desire to be the man of her dreams. Similarly, the interestingly-titled, "The Panties", once again finds the mighty Mos getting his lover-man on, cooing about the pleasures to be found in intimate experiences. "Modern Marvel", Mos Def's ode to Marvin Gaye, finds Mos experiencing and questioning the same travails that Marvin so eloquently articulated on the landmark What's Going On album.

I disagree with Amazon's primary reviewer. Do listen to this album with expectations. Expect an artist that has yet to reach his creative zenith, looking for ways to make his impression through his many prodigious talents, whether singin, riffin, rappin' or prognosticating. If The New Danger is the corporate bastardization of hip hop, then Mos Def's ambitious album is a gallant attempt to break away from what is fastly becoming the norm.

The long awaited follow up hasn't had a stellar year in 2004. They were either nowhere near the quality of the previous, or they were so radically different that they alienated the core audience the previous captured. The New Danger belongs in the latter column. Those looking for Black On Both Sides redux should let this one pass and wait for the next album. The New Danger is not as consistently brilliant in execution as Black On Both Sides, but it makes up for it in it's style and feel. Several songs on the album (especially the first half) heavily features his band Black Jack Johnson. They are thoroughly impressive in the background as musicians, but it still sounds like Mos Def featuring them, that's probably why these songs ended up on his album and not more of a collaborative effort featuring his band. The songs that feature his band are good, and they are heavy in ways, but there is nothing about them that will stick to the ribs of fans of either fans of hip hop or rock. What makes this album good is the sporadic brilliance he seems to stumble upon at different points. The first two tracks (which both play as intros) break all expectations and signals the difference between this album and it's predecessor. The second one however (which features the emergence of his band) can be off-putting. "Ghetto Rock" and "Zimzallabim" are both excellent and the latter is one of the best examples of his collaborative effort on the album. There are also three or fours tracks that are "Umi Says" on this album, all of which are modestly successful in capturing the brilliance of that song, and are easy to listen to for just the sheer appreciation of the artistry involved in them. When the second half of the album comes around it emerges more like the hip hop record you'll be longing for while listening to the first half. One exceptionally stellar track is surprisingly enough "The Panties" which captures the feel of hip hop by utilizing the feel of r&b from another time. "War" is essentially the "New World Water" of this album, and just like that song, he is lyrically brilliant, but only for the first half, and it probably would have been better if there was more Mos and less Black Jack Johnson. "Modern Marvel" is the best song on this album. It's crescendos fully into it's own with Mos singing over a deftly used sample track (he sings on a few songs on the album, a phenomenon that's spread like the flu in hip hop) it then breaks into another burning Marvin Gaye sample (who this song is a tribute to) with him rapping through remainder of the song. While the album does have points where the remote does comes in handy, peaks like "The Panties", "Zimzallabim", and "Modern Marvel" reach such astounding highs, that this album, even with all of it's flaws, is still one of the best hip hop albums of 2004.

I have been waiting for this album for such a long time it is ridiculous, as everyone else I am sure. Was I dissapointed? Hell no, this album is an amalgamation (might need a dictionary) of Hip hop, jazz, soul, blues and street bopp. He is an artist first and formost. Remember how deep 2pac's education was well Mos might be more versed. The difference is Mos Def is not a thug by any means. He is a revolutionarist, and he is an old soul. Mos was supposed to release two albums one was going to be a complete Black Jack Johnson album and the second was going to be a Mos Def hip hop album. After Rawkus went broke, MCA scrapped the Black Jack album and instead must have combined the two albums Mos was going to do and turned it into this one. People are now hating on Mos's use of rock and guitar in his music. But this nothing new on BOBS I believe the song was called Brooklyn and he raps over two beats and then the third transition of the song turns into a rock and roll almost punk sound. I believe Mos is trying to reach all audiences without sacrificing his hip hop faithfulls. The only song I have a problem with is WAR, where it sounds like he is biting Zach Dela Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) at the end. But the way this album sounds is beautiful. It is a classic, but people are going to have to give it a couple spins to really see what Mos is saying. The songs he sing also are getting people mad, but it is straight up soul. I will bet you anything he sat in the booth when he was recording and flat out freestyled these songs. They are straight soul and that comes from the heart not from a piece of paper. Other artist should take note and try to make more music from the heart. This is why Mos Def is so real. He is an icon like 2pac was he represents realness. Modern Marvel is an example of being true. This is probably Mos Def's greatest album and this is saying a lot. Straight up real dope lyrics and soulfull music. Mos's lyrical counterpart Talib Kweli's The Beautiful Struggle was a weak album. The beats were lame and Kweli's lyrics seems somehow recycled and not only that he has no passion when he speaks on the state of the world. This is why they need each other Kweli is the illest lyrist ever(next to Biggie) and Mos is the realist emcee in the game right now. Now I will sit back and listen to this album for a couple weeks and them sit patient for the Talib and Mos reunion.
PEACE UNTIL NEXT TIME

Mos Defs, The New Danger blew me away. The opening song Boogie Man Song is a light relaxing song with great instrumentals in the back with Mos bringing beautiful vocals not to complex just soothing.."Let me be your favorite Nightmare..close your eyes and Ill be right there.." This is a great opening intro song. The next couple tracks come alot harder especially Freaky Black..which includes hard rock guitar riffs sounding like something from a Metallica track which basically comes off as a second intro because we dont really hear alot of lyrics from Mos, we hear a few at the end where he lets everyone know its Black Jack Johnson and at the very end yells UNITE but basically just a second intro and it works well. The next couple tracks come off more like rock songs mixed with some blues and some jazz just a complete track as Mos flows over everything the musicians bring it sounds great, its a good change from the current music we hear from Rap artists with generic beats that have no originality..if anyone has ever heard of Crown City Rockers some of the songs on the CD have that same sort of feel because every beat is produced by real instruments..and as Mos explains on Ghetto Rock.."WE ARE ROCK N ROLL."

Later on in the CD Mos seems to throw in some strictly Hip Hop songs which still have good instrumentals but seem to bring that old school Mos style...such songs as Sunshine..which uses part of that old song for the chorus which goes.."Let the sun shine..let the sun shine in..let the sunshine." It sounds amazing and this is one of my favorite tracks on the CD I guess Im partial to that Mos Def style Ha. Then theres the love songs including The Panties, which is another one of my fav tracks we get to hear some great Mos Def vocals which shows people that he can do alot more then just rap. Another great song with that love feel is The Beggar..if anyone has heard the song Foundation by Mos Def feat DJ Honda and likes that song then your goin to love this song..it has alot of the same style to it with a little extra...Modern Marvel is another track showing Mos Defs great vocal talents.Anyways ending the CD is the track titled Champion Requiem where Mos starts the track by explaining.. If you hear any goodness from me thats from the creator you should be thankful to the creator..Im not the architect of that..if you feel any shortcomings or weaknesses in me thats all me and doesnt involve the creator." The track then brings some crazy energy, and Mos just brings some of that classic Mos flow and it left me in awe he speaks of how he put in work, growing up in the Marcy Projects, the creator, the music, and many other things this track is awesome!"..Im trully great, trully blessed...Brooklyns greatest, yo its MOS DEF."

Overall this CD is awesome, I cant find any weaknesses in the CD he covers the whole musical spectrum, and brings an original sound which is rarely found nowdays. The only problem with this is that alot of the people wont feel this originallity and want that generic feel, but with those with an open mind and know how original and great Mos is then youll love this CD. If you only buy 1 CD this year make sure its this CD. HA and if youve got room for one more pick up Talib kwelis new CD The Beautiful Struggle, its no NEW DANGER but its good. Anyways make sure you pick up this CD and watch for Mos headin towards your town cuz hes on sort of a mini tour..that reminds me I gotta get my tickets! HA..ok thanks for readin..peace \\//

First of all everyone is entitled to their own opinions so I won't hate on you for being yourselves. But any true fan of music,hip-hop, and hip-hop music will DEFinitely feel this album. I already did research on the album prior to copping it and knew what to expect. It's an album of black music period and that is commendable. Mos Def is an artist and as an artist you have to be original to be considered one of the greats of your era. A lot of reviews I've read over the past week have been downing Mos saying things like "Mos is selfish for making an album like this." and I ask myself how can he be anymore un-selfish? If Mos was selfish wouldn't he be making the flossy iced out radio so called hip-pop like Nelly, and the rest of his clones? Back to my main point, Mos def made this album for his beautiful black people not for the masses. You already knew he was ready for the critics when he made this album. Look at rapeover, he went ahead and called thoses critics out. He knows his music wont get spins on the box and make him rich through video airplay. Instead of Mos being selfish, I think you people saying that are the selfish one's saying you are disappointed the album didn't come out the exact way you wanted to. You doubters might need to open your ears and hearts and understand that Mos Def's messages are some of the most important things a black man has expressed since the days of Dr. King. Get out of the cookie cutter lifestyle of the matrix and think outside the box people. It's time for minorities to to be more than pimps thugs and hustlers. One love....

people have got to ease up on this album...he's experimenting...trying something different...it's a different sounding cd...if he did what he did before...you would probably all be complaining that he keeps doing the same thing...it's a cool sounding cd and the first song sets the tempo for what it is a different cd and not for your average hip hop fan

Well, I've got well over 1,000 albums from all different types of genres, and I can honestly say that I don't have ANYTHING even remotely close to this in my collection. As another reviewer put it, regardless of who you are - this ISN'T what you're expecting. Trust me, that's a good thing.
This is without a doubt one of the most talented entertainers around right now, and this is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable albums that I've ever bought. It is truely NOT for everyone.
While Mos DID break the mold on his solo debut, it still doesn't prepare you for what happens here. I NEVER expected to hear songs reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine on a Mos Def album. Mos runs the gambit on this album from rap to blues to rock to metal to soul - and does it all masterfully.
Like I said, this isn't for anyone. This should really only be bought if you are someone with a fairly open mind, and aren't too stuck on a specific genre. If you're someone who wants to hear something that sounds instantly familiar to you - avoid this album at all costs!
If you're someone who likes to hear an artist really stretch themselves creatively, regardless of expectations of their fans - enjoy!

It seems like there are many different views on this album. Most are negative, because Mos Def dropped an excellent Hip Hop album about 5 years ago. This album, however, mixes rock and Hip Hop and a tad of blues to make an album that can barely be classified as Hip Hop. Mos Def blends these different styles to make, in my opinion, a pretty cool album. It's not a classic in any shape, form, or fashion by no means, but it still draws me in to listen to it. I'd say this album is pretty good at best.

The first song on the album, Boogie Man Song, isn't much of a song, more like an intro really. The song was what brought me right in to the album though. The lyrics aren't much, but it still has that catchy feel (at least to me, not to other people though). Many Mos Def fans will probably get turned off just by this first song. The second song, "Freaky Black" is more like an interlude with Mos Def's rock band Black Jack Johnson. He doesn't really say anything at all. It's still listenable though, it's only 1 mintue and 50 something seconds long. "Ghetto Rock" is one of the coolest songs on this album. It has that catchy hook that has you singing it even when you think you dislike the song, it goes "Black Jack Johnson NYC, R-O-C-K-I-N-G, sun and the moon, earth stars planets, when it's all over you gon all understand it". This song gets in my head alot. The 4th track, Zimzallabim, is okay, not the best but cool. He's got Black Jack Johnson on it again(They're on alot of these track). He atleast raps a little bit on this track, which makes it a bit more enjoyable. "The Rape Over" jacks from "The Takeover" but it's the first real hip-hop track on the album, so I can't help but love it. The song is only I minute and 36 seconds anyway. "Blue Black Jack" is a real highlight on the album. It's not hip-hop though. It mixes rock with blues to make a great track that non hip hop fans could enjoy. "Bedstuy Parade and the Funeral March", or whatever it's called, is a mediocre blues/rock track. Mos doesn't really say anything, just talks about a "gangsta woman". I'll skip it sometimes. "Sex, Love, and Money" is the first real full-length hip hop track on the album, and it succeeds too. His flow and wordplay is too cool to overlook the song. Nice beat to match as well. "Sunshine" is another good hip-hop track. It has a nice beat to back it up as well. "Close Edge" is my favorite hip-hop style track on this album. He can really spit when he wants to on this CD. He also raps this on one of the Chappelle's Show episodes. Definitly a highlight. "The Panties" is another good blues/soul/halfway rock type track. It's still good, one of the better tracks that experiment with other genres besides hip-hop. "War" is an okay track, not the best, not the worst either. It's more of a rap/rock song like some of the earlier tracks. "Grown Man Business" is a straight hip-hop track, but it doesn't compare with Close Edge or Sunshine. Mos can still spit though. "Modern Marvel" is another highlight on the album. It starts off slowly and it's really more of a soul track at the beginning, and then toward the middle it turns into a hip-hop track sort of. "Life is Real" is a great track making you go back to Black On Both Sides. He brings it lyrically here, and he has a nice beat to go with it. Definitly one of the best tracks on the album. "The Easy Spell" isn't the best track on here, but it can get really catchy, with just this one line: "Y E A Yeah, you can get it". I find myself singing that part from time to time. Otherwise, the track receives a skip. "The Beggar" is another track that blends soul into blues. It works partway; Mos isn't really saying anything, just saying to his girl that he loves her but she acts like she doesn't know or something. "Champion Requiem" is a straight hip-hop track to closeout the album. It's good from start to finish, it has very nice lyrics and the production is on point with this track.

If you don't already know, this album is very experimental, using blues/soul/rock/hip-hop to make a nice album. If you are expecting another classic hip-hop album though, you might want to look at another album, not this one. If you're interesting in all kinds of different genres, I would suggest that you pick this album up. If you are new to Mos Def, start with Black On Both Sides, not this, unless, like I mentioned, you are interested in other genres. So, I would recommend this album to others, because it does blend these genres pretty well, at least in my opinion. Go ahead and buy it.

If you know MOS, you understand where he is coming from. It sounds like The New Danger is inspired by a song from Black on Both Sides, called Rock N Roll. In that song, he raps about the different schools of music and how the white artists, instead of the black artists, received credit for the creations of these different schools. If you didn't agree with his point on that song, Mos makes sure you agree now. Mos Def pops you in the face from beginning to end. He hits you with one side of the spectrum, and then hooks around from the other side of the spectrum of SOULFUL HIP-HOP FUNK.
If you dig this album, you will love Black on Both Sides. If you own this album and you don't feel it, you should keep on listening, because your ears will be trained to love this classic.