BLACKSTAR LP - MOS DEF TALIB KWELI HI-TEK JAY Z NAS NM

$

38

Item Photos
JPEGbay.com - free eBay hosting check out my other rare hip hop auctions
Mos Def & Talib Kweli are
Blackstar

Original Pressing
Never Played!!
Everything in Brand New Condition
Out of Print

Condition:
see key below
Vinyl: NM (unplayed)
Cover: NM

Label: Rawkus
Catalog#: RWK 1158-1
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: U.S.
Released: 1998

Album Description:
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is an album-length collaboration of emcees Talib Kweli and Mos Def. The album was released on August 26, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City, as the two artists know it. 
The album's fruition came about from the chemistry between the two emcees. Both planned to release their solo albums around the same time, but they postponed their individual projects and decided instead to collaborate on a full-length LP.  The late jazz musician Weldon Irvine played the keys on the album's opening song, "Astronomy," which interprets the word "black" in a positive way, and contains similes such as "Black, like my baby girl's stare".
The next song, and first single, "Definition", is a stern response to hip hop's fascination with death, and a dedication to slain emcees Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.. As the chorus goes,
“One two three/Mos Def and Talib Kweli/We came to rock it on to the tip top/Best alliance in hip hop, Y-O/I said, one two three/It's kinda dangerous to be a MC/They shot 2Pac and Biggie/Too much violence in hip hop, Y-O."  The chorus is also a play on Boogie Down Productions' anti-gun song "Stop the Violence", as well as "Remix For P Is Free" from their album Criminal Minded. "Children's Story" is a re-imagined version of Slick Rick's original, which features Mos Def cautioning overly materialistic pursuits.
"Brown-Skin Lady" is an affectionate tribute to brown-skinned women. The song encourages black and brown women to be proud of their hair and complexion, and to not be influenced by Western beauty standards. Kweli rhymes, "We're not dealin' with the European standard of beauty tonight/Turn off the TV and put the magazine away/In the mirror tell me what you see/See the evidence of divine presence."
The centerpiece of the album, "Thieves in the Night," was inspired by author Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye. In the album's liner notes, Kweli explains that the paragraph "struck me as one of the truest critiques of our society, and I read that in high school when I was 15 years old. I think it is especially true in the world of hip hop, because we get blinded by these illusions." The excerpt interpolated in the song is as follows:  And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good but well-behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life.
And the version on the track:
“Not strong, only aggressive/Not free, we only licensed/Not compassionate, only polite (now who the nicest?)/Not good but well-behaved/Chasin' after death so we could call ourselves brave, still livin' like mental slaves/Hiding like thieves in the night from life/Illusions of oasis making you look twice.”  The album's cover was designed by artist Brent Rollins.


US bidders flat rate shipping of $4.00
Priority available upon request

Item will be carefully packaged to ensure that you will receive it in the condition described.  I take great care as a collector myself in packaging my items for shipment.  I use professional packing material that can withstand even the rigors of international shipping.  I generally sell mint condition collectible vinyl and even though I am selling it; as a collector I still do not want to see it damaged in any way, so rest assured that your purchase or rather investment will be well protected.  If item is not sealed I ship vinyl outside of the cover to avoid seam splits in transit.   

All international shipping will be done USPS First Class International or USPS International Priority depending on the country. Some countries I will only ship with insurance and insurance is only available trough USPS International Priority.   So please contact if you have questions about rates.

I am a private record collector.  All my records are kept upright, out of direct sunlight, and in a smoke free environment.  Please be prepared to pay within 3 days of auction closing if you win.


• Condition Code / Grading Scale: I do not grade mint for anything, vinyl is never flawless.

NM = Near Mint:

Record looks and sounds new. No scratches, surface noise, ticks or pops. If there would be any surface noise, it would be very soft. If there would be a tick or pop, it would only be one or two soft ones.

NM- = Near Mint Minus:

Record looks and sounds very acceptable. This is a record that can be enjoyed. It may have some slight visible marks and may have surface noise and a few ticks and pops, but this will still be minimal.

 VG = Very Good:

Record looks and sounds used. This record has lots of surface noise and has visible scratches. For listening or collecting it is only good as "filler".

 + = Plus: (such as VG+)

Indicates the degree of closeness to the next higher grade.