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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mos Def + A Homemade Mixtape = Tru3 Magic, December 30, 2006
Mos Def loves hip hop. This is made fully apparent by the way in which he has chosen to present his newest venture 'True Magic'. Having taken a 180 degree about-face to the overly hyped slickness of the concept album 'The New Danger', Mos has decided this time around to revisit hip hop in its truest most sincere essence. I suppose you could call this one a concept album as well but this time the concept is, in his own words, 'simple and plain'.
The seemingly mishmashed chaotic nature of the songs and their arrangement is intentional: if it reminds you a little bit of an underground mixtape then Mr. Mos has accomplished a large part of his task. Mos Def, being the hip hop aficionado that he is, knows full well the fact that the underground mixtape is really the only place left where you'll find emcees spitting for the sake of spitting (and of course for some street cred) and not solely for the cash money; it's where the unadulterated true magic of hip-hop-as-art-form still maintains. And he captures the spirit of the mixtape in all its glory w/ the rapid-fire spontanaeity and excitement; most of the songs overlap and production quality seems inconsistent w/ each track. You don't quite know what to expect next -- which is where much of the excitent of listening to this album comes from -- yet as a whole it's cohesive, all held together by one thing: dopeness.
I wouldn't be surprised if even the date of this album's release coincided with this concept. In sharp contrast to the previous release, this one seemed to drop from nowhere with almost no fanfare or anticipation (save the early online leakage).
And make no mistake, the lack of elaborate cover art design is just as much a part of the magic as the music itself. Mos wants us listeners to get to the nitty gritty of this record: there's nothing else for us to focus on but the beats and the rhyme skills -- no slick packaging to gawk at, no longwinded liner notes to distract us from even one line of what the man's saying.
Another well known hip hop artist whom I equally respect has recently deemed hip hop dead. I was almost ready to agree. But it looks like the mighty Mos Def has once again come back right on time to show us that the opposite is actually true: it's black beating heart is very much alive and well, pumping in every stereo that runs 'True Magic'.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real Deal about True Magic, January 22, 2007
The new album is pretty solid. Here is the deal. Mos Def was under contract with Geffen, and he wants that deal done and over with. The album was rushed out, hence no album art, etc. Many stores had the album as early as mid december. Some stores actually started selling the album on the 19th of Dec. The original release date was the 26th of December, but was changed because it was the tuesday after Christmas. Then it was pushed to the 29th. Geffen was very frustrated with the release date, as well as the idea that the album wasn't advertised. The album officially debuted on the Billboard at #151. This triggered Geffen to recall the album, since The New Danger debuted much higher. Geffen can only do this by saying that this album is a sampler and changing the cd a bit. The rerelease of the album will probably be called Tru3 Magic now instead of True Magic, and the track listings by number will be different. The new disc will drop in the spring and feature a couple of new songs(including all the current songs) as well as album art and credits.
Stop complaining about how they charge you $10 for a sampler, when in fact this was the real deal. Geffen is being hard with Mos Def because he tried to get out quickly.
True Magic is very well done. In a world full of gangsta rap, Mos brings new light. The cd is very fresh, and well worth $10. Highlights on True Magic have to be: True Magic, Undeniable, Crime & Medicine, Dollar Day, Fake Bonanza. There wasn't a song on here I was disappointed with, and this is because the lyrics he speaks hit hard.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mos.. you can do way better! , February 17, 2007
Let me preface this by saying I'm a huge Mos Def fan... Brought all his other albums, seen him in concert; in my opinion he's one of the best MC's out there today. Black on both Sides is legendary material. That's why I'm so disappointed in this album. I agree with one of the other reviewers, this sounds like filler material. It might be better than a lot of the crap on the radio nowadays, but it isn't up to par when compared to his previous work. Even the production sounds a little off. I don't know if he's getting 5 stars from some people based on reputation, but I've listened to his album over and over and still can't get into it. It's so frustrating cause Mos is so talented; what happened to the Mos that could break off a rhyme so drop and precise that it's mind blowing. He isn't on here. Please Mos give me something I can feel! Giving him 3 stars cause I have too much respect for him to give him anything lower... even though in this case it might deserving .
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