The New Danger is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Mos Def, released October 12, 2004 on Rawkus and Geffen Records in the United States. The album was also released in Canada and continental Europe through Geffen, and it featured distribution in the United Kingdom on Island Records.[1] It is the follow-up to his breakthrough solo effort Black on Both Sides (1999), after which he further involved himself in a film and stage career.[2]
Production
Production for the album was handled by Mos Def, Kanye West, 88 Keys, Minnesota, Warryn Campbell, and Psycho Les. Primarily a hip hop album, it also exhibits musical styles such jazz, blues, and rock music with an experimental, jam session-atmosphere.[3] It also features contributions from Mos Def's rock musical project Black Jack Johnson, which was named after boxing champion Jack Johnson and consists of guitarist Dr. Know, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Will Calhoun.[2]
Reception
The New Danger received generally mixed reviews from critics; it holds an aggregate score of 59 out of 100 from Metacritic.[14] Blender called it "mushily sentimental, self-righteously indignant and constantly in your face",[5] while AllMusic's Andy Kellman said it was "a sprawling, overambitious mess".[4] New York magazine panned the album as "an unsatisfying muddle of protest music, black rock, and rap".[15] In The New York Times, Kelefa Sanneh wrote that the record suffered from extended soul songs that meandered, dull rock songs, and some raps such as "The Rap Over" that were devoid of Mos Def's usual "warmth and wit".[16] NME deemed some of the songs failed experiments but also highlighted "Boogie Man Song", "Modern Marvel", and "Champion Requiem" as more timeless material.[8] Rolling Stone critic Tom Moon was more enthusiastic, hailing the album as an "earthy, impressively diverse" work that showcased Mos Def's abilities to "create deeply nuanced characterizations" and "broaden the hip-hop palette without sacrificing, or selling out, its core ideals".[10] Writing for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said while Mos Def's past records were driven by his "verbal flow", The New Danger was more interesting musically and defined by its sonic flow, which Christgau described as "a shadowy, guitar-drenched tone poem of the streets".[13] In his ballot for the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau named it the 19th best album of 2004.[17]
The album debuted at number #5 on the Billboard 200 and at number #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 90,664 copies sold in the first week. To date, the album has sold more than 222,449 copies.[18][19]
Track listing
| 1. |
"The Boogie Man Song" | Mos Def, Raphael Saadiq |
2:22 |
| 2. |
"Freaky Black Greetings" | Mos Def |
2:20 |
| 3. |
"Ghetto Rock" | Minnesota |
3:53 |
| 4. |
"Zimzallabim" | Easy Mo Bee, Mos Def |
3:41 |
| 5. |
"The Rape Over" | Kanye West |
1:34 |
| 6. |
"Blue Black Jack" (featuring Shuggie Otis) | Minnesota |
5:47 |
| 7. |
"Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March" (featuring Paul Oscher) | Mos Def |
4:32 |
| 8. |
"Sex, Love & Money" | Warryn Campbell |
4:09 |
| 9. |
"Sunshine" | Kanye West |
4:25 |
| 10. |
"Close Edge" | Minnesota |
3:10 |
| 11. |
"The Panties" | Minnesota |
4:11 |
| 12. |
"War" | Mos Def, Psycho Les |
3:07 |
| 13. |
"Grown Man Business (Fresh Vintage Bottles)" (featuring Minnesota) | Minnesota |
3:24 |
| 14. |
"Modern Marvel" | Minnesota |
9:19 |
| 15. |
"Life Is Real" | Molecules |
3:11 |
| 16. |
"The Easy Spell" | Mos Def |
5:32 |
| 17. |
"The Beggar" (featuring Paul Oscher) | Mos Def |
5:19 |
| 18. |
"Champion Requiem" | 88-Keys |
4:52 |
| 19. |
"The Jump Off" (feat. Ludacris) | Minnesota |
4:21 |
Notes: The UK Edition bonus track is also featured on his 2007 compilation album, Mos Definite.
Charts
- Singles
| Year |
Title |
| 2004 |
"Sex, Love & Money" |
| "Close Edge" |
Personnel
References
- ↑ "The New Danger (Album)". Discogs. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- 1 2 Cromelin, Richard (2004-11-28). Try Telling Him He Can't Do It All. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- ↑ Simon, Andrew. "Mos Def: The New Danger". Vibe: 215. December 2004.
- 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "The New Danger - Mos Def". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- 1 2 Blender (New York): 138. November 2004.
- ↑ Fiore, Raymond. "Rap's Mos Valuable Player". Entertainment Weekly: October 22, 2004.
- ↑ Quinn, Anthony (2004-10-29). "Album: Mos Def (The New Danger)". The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- 1 2 NME (London): 51. October 23, 2004.
- ↑ Warren, Jamin (2004-10-18). "Mos Def: The New Danger". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- 1 2 Moon, Tom (2004-10-28). "Mos Def: The New Danger : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ↑ Slant Magazine review
- ↑ Pemberton, Rollie (2004-10-15). "Mos Def - The New Danger - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice: November 2, 2004. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- ↑ "Critic Reviews for The New Danger". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
- ↑ New York, Volume 37, Issues 38-46, pg. 108
- ↑ New York Times review
- ↑ Pazz & Jop 2004: Dean's List
- ↑ "Previous Album Sales Chart". HITS Daily Double. 2004-10-18. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ↑ Album Sales.hitsdailydouble.com. Retrieved October 2004
- ↑ "Discographie Mos Def". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Discographie Mos Def". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ↑ Mos Def albums peak chart position in United Kingdom: The New Danger: "Mos Def". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
External links
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