Black on Both Sides

Black on Both Sides
Studio album by Mos Def
Released	October 12, 1999
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	Hip hop
Length	71:21
Label	Rawkus/Priority
Producer	Mos Def (also exec.), Diamond D, Ge-ology, 88-Keys, DJ Premier, Ayatollah, D. Prosper, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Psycho Les, DJ Etch-A-Sketch, David Kennedy
Mos Def chronology
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998) Black on Both Sides (1999) The New Danger (2004) Singles from Black on Both Sides "Ms. Fat Booty/Mathematics" Released: August 2, 1999 "Umi Says" Released: 2000

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A−[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[4]
NME	8/10[5]
Pitchfork Media	8.7/10[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
The Source	4/5[9]
Spin	10/10[10]

Black on Both Sides is the debut album of American rapper Mos Def, released on October 12, 1999, by Rawkus Records. Prior to the album's recording, Mos Def had collaborated with rapper Talib Kweli for the duo's studio album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998),^[11] which raised high expectations for a solo effort.^[1] Black on Both Sides features an emphasis on live instrumentation and socially conscious lyrics.^[12][7] On February 2, 2000, the album was certified Gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of 500,000 copies.^[13]

Music

Talib Kweli (one-half of Black Star with Mos Def), Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes are the only main rappers to be featured on the album. Kweli raps the second and final verse of "Know That", while Busta goes back and forth with Mos on "Do It Now". Q-Tip helps sing the chorus on "Mr. Nigga" but doesn't deliver a verse. The lyrics Q-Tip recites are similar to his previously stated lyrics on A Tribe Called Quest's "Sucka Nigga". Vinia Mojica (who is known for singing on Native Tongues songs) also sings a duet with Mos Def on the song "Climb".

Production

The album features a mix between established and rising producers. DJ Premier provides the instrumental track for "Mathematics". Diamond D also is credited for "Hip Hop". Ali Shaheed Muhammad, known mostly as a member of A Tribe Called Quest, produced the seventh song "Got". Psycho Les of The Beatnuts did a little more than the aforementioned producers by supplying two beats (the ninth and tenth tracks "New World Water" and "Rock N Roll", respectively). Jazz legend Weldon Irvine provided additional production to "Climb".

Ayatollah produced "Ms. Fat Booty" and "Know That". The same followed for 88-Keys after he produced "Love" and "Speed Law" and co-produced the instrumental outro "May–December" with Mos Def himself. David Kennedy (the second swing of "Brooklyn" and "Umi Says" produced with Mos Def), Mr. Khaliyl ("Do It Now"), DJ Etch-A-Sketch ("Climb" and "Habitat"), Ge-ology (The first swing of "Brooklyn") and D. Prosper ("Mr. Nigga") round out the other contributors. The late Jay Dee also contributed, but his work was not included in the album's final release.

Mos received production assistance on most of the album's tracks. His sole production credit comes at "Fear Not of Man", but he provided additional production to four tracks ("Hip Hop", "Rock N Roll", "Climb" and "Mr. Nigga") and co-produced three ("Umi Says", "Brooklyn" and "May–December").

Early versions

On the song "Brooklyn", a three-movement piece dedicated to Mos' place of origin in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, Mos rhymes three verses over three different beats. The first beat is an original composition produced by Ge-ology, while the second verse is a re-creation of Smif-N-Wessun's "Home Sweet Home" and the last verse is set to the instrumental track of Notorious B.I.G.'s 1995 single "Who Shot Ya?". However, "Brooklyn"'s original soundscape took its concept a bit further. The true original version was never released in its entirety, as initially recorded. Mos rhymes 3 complete verses over Ge-ology's musical composition, now referred to as the first movement of the song. On a later version, the first and third verses are set to the instrumentals of two other 1995 New York rap hits, "Incarcerated Scarfaces" by Raekwon as well as "Give Up the Goods (Just Step)" by Mobb Deep, respectively. The "Who Shot Ya?" verse, with the same vocal take on the released version, is placed in the middle. It is assumed that the use of these instrumentals could not be cleared for various reasons. One of many being the possibility that the samples used in the original instrumentals were only licensed to be used specifically for those compositions, and any further licensing would require the original artists' permission (therefore requiring more money on both sampling parties' ends), or any other number of various music industry troubles. This said version circulates online frequently. It is also notable that on the song, Mos Def sings his own interpretation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Under the Bridge".

Also, DJ Premier originally used a different sample than the one featured on the released version of "Mathematics", which was entered into clearance. When clearance failed, DJ Premier crafted a different instrumental for the song.

Video

Mos Def was involved with two videos for Umi Says. One was more traditional, while the second one came when Nike and Jordan Brand chose Umi Says as its theme song for its Much Respect series of commercials for the Air Jordan XVI. As a result, the second video features appearances from Michael Finley, Eddie Jones, Derek Jeter, Roy Jones Jr., Ray Allen and even Michael Jordan himself.^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Fear Not of Man"	Mos Def	4:28
2.	"Hip Hop"	Diamond D, Mos Def*	3:16
3.	"Love"	88-Keys	4:23
4.	"Ms. Fat Booty"	Ayatollah	3:43
5.	"Speed Law"	88-Keys	4:16
6.	"Do It Now" (featuring Busta Rhymes)	Mr. Khaliyl	3:49
7.	"Got"	Ali Shaheed Muhammad	3:27
8.	"Umi Says"	Mos Def, David Kennedy*	5:10
9.	"New World Water"	Psycho Les	3:11
10.	"Rock N Roll"	Psycho Les, Mos Def*	5:02
11.	"Know That" (featuring Talib Kweli)	Ayatollah	4:03
12.	"Climb" (featuring Vinia Mojica)	DJ Etch-A-Sketch, Mos Def*, Weldon Irvine*	4:02
13.	"Brooklyn"	Ge-ology, Mos Def*, David Kennedy*	5:09
14.	"Habitat"	DJ Etch-A-Sketch	4:39
15.	"Mr. Nigga" (featuring Q-Tip)	D-Prosper, Mos Def*	5:12
16.	"Mathematics"	DJ Premier	4:06
17.	"May–December"	88-Keys, Mos Def*	3:29

*Co-producer

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart[15]	56
US Billboard 200[16]	25
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[17]	3
US Billboard Top Rap Albums[18]	1

Singles

Year	Title	US R&B[19]	US Rap	UK[20]
1999	"Ms. Fat Booty"	54	20	—
2000	"Umi Says"	—	—	60

Personnel

All lyrics by Mos Def.

#	Title	Notes
1	"Fear Not of Man"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "Fear Not for Men" by Fela Kuti Bass: Mos Def Congas: Mos Def Keyboards: Weldon Irvine Percussion: Mos Def
2	"Hip Hop"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "The Warning Part II" by David Axelrod Sample: "Slow Dance" by Stanley Clarke Sample: "Time's Up" by O.C. Sample: "Paid in Full" by Eric B & Rakim Sample: "The Bridge" by MC Shan Sample: "C.R.E.A.M" by Wu-Tang Clan Bass: Mos Def Keyboards: Mos Def Scratches: DJ Etch A Sketch
3	"Love"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "Porgy" by Bill Evans Sample: "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim
4	"Ms. Fat Booty"	Songwriters: D. Smith, L. Dorrell Sample: "One Step Ahead" by Aretha Franklin
5	"Speed Law"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "Promise Her Anything But Give Her Arpeggio" by Big Brother & The Holding Company Sample: "And That's Saying A lot" by Christine McVie Sample: "Get It Together" by Beastie Boys
6	"Do It Now"	Songwriters: D. Smith
7	"Got"	Songwriters: D. Smith
8	"Umi Says"	Songwriters: D. Smith Fender Rhodes: will.i.am Hammond organ: Weldon Irvine
9	"New World Water"	Songwriters: D. Smith
10	"Rock n Roll"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "Allustrious" by Mobb Deep Bass: Mos Def Drums: Mos Def Guitar: Johnny Why
11	"Know That"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "Anyone Who Had a Heart" by Dionne Warwick
12	"Climb"	Songwriters: D. Smith
13	"Brooklyn"	Songwriters: D. Smith First Move Producer: Ge-ology Second Move Producer: Mos Def & David Kennedy Third Move Producer: Mos Def First Move Sample: "What Are You Doin' the Rest of Your Life" by Milt Jackson First Move Sample: "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers Second Move Sample: "We Live in Brooklyn Baby" by Roy Ayers Third Move Sample: "Who Shot Ya?" by The Notorious B.I.G.
14	"Habitat"	Songwriters: D. Smith
15	"Mr. Nigga"	Songwriters: D. Smith Sample: "A Legend in His Own Mind" by Gil-Scott Heron Sample: "Sun Goddess" by Ramsey Lewis Congas: Mos Def Percussion: Mos Def
16	"Mathematics"	Songwriters: D. Smith, Sample: "Body Rock" by Mos Def Sample: "John Blaze" by Fat Joe Sample: "For All My Niggaz & Bitches" by Snoop Dogg Sample: "Criminology" by Raekwon Sample from the movie Ghostbusters Sample: "On & On" by Erykah Badu Sample: "Baby I'm-A Want You" by Fatback Band Sample: "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
17	"May–December"	Songwriters: D. Smith Bass: Mos Def Piano: Weldon Irvine Vibraphone: Mos Def

References

1. Huey, Steve. "Black on Both Sides - Mos Def". AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-08-28.
2. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Mos Def". The Village Voice: November 2, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Note: Christgau revised the album's original rating of (B+) to (A-) in his 2000 book Christgau's Consumer Guide
3. Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0195313739.
4. Diehl, Matt (1999-11-05). "Black On Both Sides Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-08-28.
5. Columnist (1999-11-18). "Album Reviews - Black On Both Sides". NME. Retrieved on 2009-08-28.
6. Goldman, Andrew (1999-10-12). "Mos Def: Black on Both Sides". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2013-01-22.
7. Lewis, Miles Marshall (1999-11-11). "Mos Def: Black On Both Sides : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
8. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA322&dq=rolling+stone+gang+starr&cd=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=wu%20tang&f=false. Page 462
9. "Mos Def - Black on Both Sides CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
10. Aaron, Charles (August 2009). "Mos Def". Spin (New York): 80. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
11. Leroy, Dan (1999-10-12). "Mos Def: Black on Both Sides". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-08-28.
12. Columnist (1999-10-29). "Latest Albums Review". The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-08-28.
13. RIAA - Gold & Platinum Search. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2009-06-30.
14. Umi Says - Much Respect YouTube (produced by Rawkus Records, Nike and Jordan Brand)
15. Mos Def albums peak chart position in United Kingdom: The New Danger: "Mos Def". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
16. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
17. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
18. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
19. Billboard Charts.Mos Def Singles Chart History.
20. Official Charts Mos Def Chart Singles History. officialcharts.com

Sources

• Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links

• Black on Both Sides at Acclaimed Music
• Black on Both Sides at Discogs
• Album Review at RapReviews