Boooogie Man (The Ecstatic - Mos Def)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	The Ecstatic - Mos Def
Date:	23/07/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A couple of decent cuts

Disadvantages: Too experimental

After being absent from the music game for a good three years (using this time in the movie biz), the Brooklyn Hip Hop artist Mos Def released the follow-up to his alternative album "True Magic" album with "The Ecstatic" in Summer 2009 as his fourth solo record. It finds him working with the likes of Talib Kweli, Slick Rick and the late J Dilla.

1. "Supermagic"

To get this album going, we have a fly joint which has things beginning in a style you would associate with the artist as he drops into something which fits in with his general ways with a Rock-inspired tune which has him coming with in-your-face rhymes as he re-introduces himself with some highly-complex flows which keep on giving.

**Four Stars**

2. "Twilight Speedball"

Chad Hugo of The Neptunes takes over with the beats here, but I can't say that it came with anything you would have expected from him and so it threw me a bit, and from here you find that Mos chooses to go for the confusing alternative work which takes on a very loose structure with flows which just keep coming, but don't really stick to anything specifically.

**Two Stars**

3. "Auditorium"

With Slick Rick on his side, this one was bound to bring up some sort of boost from the thing, and I felt that with Madlib's production used too, it meant that this was brought about to some degree, but as you have him getting down to some pretty dark stuff, it was a bit hard to really engage, especially if you aren't familiar with his past work.

**Three Stars**

4. "Wahid" (Lude)

5. "Priority" (Lude)

6. "Quiet Dog Bite Hard"

Off too very short tracks from him , you find that he gets back to the more developed material, and I felt that for this one you find a tune which you simply can't help but get down to as you find that the pace is upped significantly and with some rather lifeless ones before it, this really gets you going again.

**Four Stars**

7. "Life In Marvellous Times"

Here you have Mr. Flash dropping some heavy beats which seem to take on some much more popular trends of the time with the ascending synth taken from the likes of Just Blaze, The Runners and Drumma Boy being used here to show hat Mos can et down to this kind of material too as he gets into some deep rhymes.

**Four Stars**

8. "The Embassy"

There's more from Mr. Flash here as he works with Mos to come up with some thing which shows their originality in music and what it can come up with as he comes with something which plays around with lots of conventions in order to get a reaction out of the listener before breaking out into one which seems to take on heavy Middle Eastern influence as he goes hard with his religiously-driven rhymes.

**Three Stars**

9. "No Hay Nada Mas" (Lude)

10. "Pistola"

Off a Spanish rap, you see that he returns back to his more expected material as you have some heavy Hip Hop beats coming through (these are surprisingly rare within the album) and with it being so infrequent, it makes you attach to it, even though I wouldn't say that it is all that strong. It is a pretty general tune from him and I feel that you shouldn't be compelled to enjoy it because it sounds more like Hip Hop than any other place here.

**Three Stars**

11. "Pretty Dancer"

Madlib returns for this one as you get him getting down to more of the material which you found from early pars of the album where he comes with something which appears to get him coming with some thought-provoking rhymes, which are built out of rather simplistic words, and I felt tha it hit hard at this stage of it.

**Four Stars**

12. "Workers Comp."

This is one which has him showing the strength at performing material which moves things on a big form the complex lyricism, and more towards something which is bound to bring you in through its infectious hook and from here you see him throwing his conscious rhymes at you in the way he is known best for.

**Four Stars**

13. "Revelations"

This a fly tune which I felt really stood out on the album for what it is seen to do as he gets into a track which has him showing how inventive he is with his music as he does one which is performed as a the sort of thing you would get on an introduction to a track, but he extends it as far as it possibly can go (around two minutes).

**Four Stars**

14. "Roses"

This is another you get on the album which really brings it down as it has potential, but the way in which it is done just pulls you down as it has him going about things in a way which clearly have a lot of thought going into it, but it really doesn't have any sort of connection to what the majority of listeners will feel and so it said little to me.

**Two Stars**

15. "History"

In this short one, you get the return of Black Star as you find that Talib Kweli comes to link up with hi for one where they let loose in manner which finds in with expectations as they are backed by killer beats from J Dilla and Mos Def takes the time to talk everyone through his life, starting from birth. It is a big one and finds right in here.

**Four Stars**

16. "Casa Baby"

He is seen t pull things back through this, what was the first leak form the album, in which you get him just letting loose with something which shows him working at his best when it comes to the more lively material as he incorporates the Funk of the production into his flows and makes sure that you don't want to leave from here.

**Five Stars**

I can't say that I was too impressed by this album from Mos as although it finds him moving away from the confusing material which he brought with "True Magic", it is still found to be used extensively within the album and it holds it back somewhat as he brings in little of the more progressive Hip Hop to his music and instead chose to pursue something which only he really understands.

Summary: Mos Def's fourth solo album