or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $1.10 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
SpotlightMedia Add to Cart
$12.48  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
manhattan_m... Add to Cart
$12.97  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Ecstatic

Mos DefAudio CD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)

Price: $12.38 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 10 left in stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Thursday, May 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
MP3 Music, 16 Songs, 2012 $9.49  
Audio CD, 2009 $12.38  
Vinyl, 2009 --  

Amazon's Mos Def Store

Music

Image of album by Mos Def

Photos

Image of Mos Def

Biography

Regarded as one of the most insightful artists of our time, musician, activist and actor Mos Def has captured the attention of critics and audiences alike with a celebrated body of work that has crossed all artistic genres—from music to the Broadway stage, film and television.

In 1996, Mos Def became an underground favorite in the hip hop world, which lead to his legendary ... Read more in Amazon's Mos Def Store

Visit Amazon's Mos Def Store
for 24 albums, photos, and 3 full streaming songs.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

The Ecstatic + Black on Both Sides + New Danger
Price for all three: $30.58

Buy the selected items together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Details

  • Audio CD (June 9, 2009)
  • Original Release Date: June 9, 2009
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Downtown
  • ASIN: B001GSV3F6
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,899 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Supermagic
2. Twilite Speedball
3. Auditorium
4. Wahid
5. Priority
6. Quiet Dog Bite Hard
7. Life in Marvelous Times
8. The Embassy
9. No Hay Nada Mas
10. Pistola
11. Pretty Dancer
12. Workers Comp
13. Revelations
14. Roses
15. History
16. Casa Bey

Editorial Reviews

Newly signed to DOWNTOWN RECORDS, 'The Ecstatic' is most MOSDEF's 4th album after groundbreaking efforts like 1999's 'Black On Both Sides'and is his most innovative yet. The list of producers is astounding MAD LIB,CHAD HUGO (N.E.R.D.), GEORGIA ANNE

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 78 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Mos Def nearly back to his best June 8, 2009
Format:MP3 Music
After, let's face it, two album flops (especially True Magic), Mos Def has clearly struggled to put out quality music that he blessed us with beforehand (Black Star with Talib Kweli, Black on Both Sides). Having bought this album and listened to each track multiple times, I can honestly say its easily his best since Black on Both Sides, but still somewhat short of the extremely high standards he set with his solo debut.

The highs of the album, in my view, are the tracks Quiet Dog (Bite Hard), 'Life in Marvelous Times', 'History' (featuring Talib Kweli) and the closer, 'Casa Bey'. 'Quiet Dog' (produced by Preservation) has an insane percussion beat and Mos Def reminds us why he is considered one of the top MC's in the game. 'Life in Marvelous Times' is a reflective song which sets up the second half of the album, looking briefly at Mos Def's journey from the projects in Bed-Stuy to where he is now. The best line in the album, in my opinion, comes from this song, when Mos says "we are alive in amazing times/ delicate hearts, diabolical minds'. It really got me thinking. In my opinion, the best track on the album is the closer, 'Casa Bey', because it has a wonderful mix of a fast-paced catchy instrumental that Mos somehow manages to keep up with and lines that jump out at you again and again (You can't stop my go/ I was born to be where I am/ Bright light from a Distant Star). And to top it all off, it ends with a beautifully sad and soothing little piano solo.

Another thing I like about the album is its use of Eastern samples (mostly provided by the legendary Madlib and his brother Oh No) and weird guitar riffs (check out the Chad Hugo produced 'Twilite Speedball'). And that's not just because I am Arabic! haha...no I genuinely think using Arabic and Indian music for samples makes the album feel more abstract and unique.

The album does have its cons though. Some of the lyrics honestly seem half-a@@ed and as if Mos Def was in a rush, and thats really not like him. The song 'Workers Comp.', for example, seems plain silly to me and doesn't meet the standard of some of the other tracks. But all in all, I had to say its a close-to-perfect Mos Def album.

In conclusion, you may not hear any of the songs from this album on the radio because of their quirkiness, but let me assure you this is a definite buy for fans of Black Dante, like myself. Hopefully he'll keep it up for his next album, which is, apparently, a collaboration with Jay Electronica...should be interesting :)

thanks for reading
Was this review helpful to you?
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars deep, dynamic, challenging, rewarding June 15, 2009
Format:Audio CD
the beats are dense and spooky. mos' flow is at times aggressive and ominous. but this is not supposed to be an easy album to listen too. Mos Def has created an album reflecting the times we live in. and for listeners brave enough to keep their ears open and and absorb multiple listens, the depth, beauty, and ecstasy of The Ecstatic will slowly begin to unfold and reveal itself. this album belongs to a newer, complex breed of 'art hip-hop' that requires the attention of a jazz album. while reception may be a tiny bit lukewarm today, 10 years from now, we will remember The Ecstatic as one of the most important hip hop discs of our time.
Was this review helpful to you?
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Black Dante June 9, 2009
Format:Audio CD
Mighty Mos drops Ecstatic another very nice album for your collection. As always Mos is on the album with dope word play, dope delivery, and lyrics that make you think. What i really liked about the album was the production. Beats by Dilla, Mad Lib, Preservation, and Mr. Flash. The beats are dope and get your head bouncing while enjoying some fire lyrics. Also the album features the great Slick Rick and my man Talib Kweli. Another liked is this album is more rapping and not so much singing. I don't mind Mos' singing but at some points in the past it was a bit too much. The only song i didn't really care for was NO HAY NADA MAS. I don't speak enough spanish to appreciate it. All in all this is a good release by Dante and should be added to your collection immediately!!!

Stand out tracks:

Auditorium
History
Priority
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Professor Def
Such a brillant minded freedom fighter. Def is in a class by himself and a legendary voice in the rap community. He is definately in my top of my listenin choices. Read more
Published 7 months ago by William m Coles
5.0 out of 5 stars a must have
This is a must have for any Mos Def / hip hop fan. Composed like a good book (or a good meal), each chapter flows seamlessly. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Sassy Mama
5.0 out of 5 stars !!!!!!!
One of my favorite albums! Experimental and masterful all at once. Mos Def is more lyrical on this album than I ever expected!
Published 14 months ago by hands-e-phantom
2.0 out of 5 stars I love Black On Both Sides. I do not love this.
Some of the instrumentals are pretty hot. I heard The Neptunes drop this real funky beat, and I'm waiting for Mos Def to come in and kill it, but I feel like he never does. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Tomer8191
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Strong Album
This is definitely my favorite Mos album (after BOBS, calm down), but it actually took a while to grow on me. Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. Adadey
4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightment!
Mos Def's material is not usually something that the ordinary guy can pick up and completely appreciate upon first listen. Read more
Published 17 months ago by I.M.J
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE LOVE LOVE this album!
This album right here is worth EVERY penny! Pretty Flaco has outdone himself! LOVE LOVE LOVE this album!If I lost this CD I would buy another :D
Published 21 months ago by Melissa
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than 'Black On Both Sides'
This is in my opinion Mos Defs best solo album next to BOBS and Blackstar with Talib, I was disappointed in True Magic and in this album Mos went back to what he does best. Read more
Published 21 months ago by B-Goody
3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 He's like the 3rd member of OutKast..
What a skilled MC.He has never been concerned about conforming. This is what I respect about Mos Def. He is also his own rapper. He reminds me of Talib Kweli and OutKast. Read more
Published on February 6, 2011 by Mikeisha Best
5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars - The Ecstatic
A great comeback to the likeable Mos Def. I have to admit, his previous work, True Magic and The New Danger were mediocre at best and to be honest I was not expecting much, but... Read more
Published on August 12, 2010 by Xzplizit
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Who produced what?
if u still r curious as to who produced each track, its on the wikipedia page of the album
but i agree about the booklet..
Jun 12, 2009 by khalid_alkhajah |  See all 3 posts
Release Date? Be the first to reply
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 





What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?



Look for Similar Items by Category