Bumpin Black on Both Sides cause it turns 21 today. Never forget how I felt when I first heard Mathematics blasting from my bro’s system. Crazy how relevant it still is too

Ms. Fat Booty might be my favorite “love song” lol Mos was real af when he said he got “flu symptoms when shorty not around” and he needed to lock it down

The amount of poetry and knowledge Mos Def packs into a little over 3 mins on “Hip Hop” is absurd. When he goes acapella to emphasize his points point blank facts you can’t hide from

Ah shit thought I linked “Ms. Fat Booty” before.

To this day I still laugh when Mos says “I smashed her like an Idaho potato”

We already *know that* the Mos x Talib combo were the fuckin World Tag Team Champions of the underground around this time. “Know That” sounds like it came straight from those Black Star sessions:

Straight up, the first song I ever loved was “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers cause my cool older cuzzo Tony had the cassette and had that shit on repeat. Years later, I wasn’t ready for Mos starting off with his rendition on “Brooklyn”

The way Mos expressed his love for the craft stuck with me. He always uses his pen to empower and inspire. “Building the now for the promise of the infinite” is my Why for making music

Mos bridged genres like few other MCs fr. If you know someone who doesn’t like hip-hop and likes rock, jazz, funk, etc, play some old Mos Def for them. These smooth jazz vibes on “UMI Says” are life. Transcendent. Regeneration for the soul

To me, “Fear Not Of Man” sounds like Mos strolling out his crib to go to a BK bodega, calmly preachin whatever comes to mind along the way, people gravitating toward his words as he walks, steadily drawing a crowd that follows him around the city

Yoooo how can I forget about “Rock N Roll” shattering whatever mystique dudes like Elvis and teaching my young ass about the OG black artists who actually created rock. Mos finishing it with the punk bit was also *chef’s kiss*

“New World Water” sounds like being in the middle of the rat race, streets bustling around you, with Mos in the center of it all, mic in one hand, pointing his other finger skyward toward the ivory tower no one else is looking at

1) how you don’t lose your mind upon listening to this beat is beyond me. The bass and keys are godly
2) the way this track succinctly and incisively displays the depths of racism felt even after you’ve “made it” had me like the first time

“May-December” - forever too beautiful to rhyme over. Just kick back by the window and burn one

For me, the hook on “Habitat” meant a lot to a kid who’d moved around growing up, with family fully coming to grips with the strangeness of Puerto Rican diaspora - being American by status but not feeling or being treated as an American.

The prequel to “Drive Slow” lol jk but fr the bars on this joint are Mos at his battle rappin best. Careful bumpin this one in your car, that bass groove es muy peligroso bro

My god did “Do It Now” stay on the bball warmup playlist. Fav part might be when Mos kicked “AY DIOS MIO, Me and Bustarimo muy peligro, the two hottest MCs en Los Estados Unidos”. But damn there are so many gems on this one, Busta on this beat is unfair

“Got” a great lesson in the art of not being hot. I always think about my tio when I hear this cause his deal was always keepin your head on a swivel + not drawing unnecessary attention. Same dude I smoked a j with out front a Red Robin lmao

“Climb” comes outta nowhere with the new agey R&B. Beautiful poetry, haunting imagery. A dreamscape. Sounds like a dope interlude after “Know That”

Man I have no idea what possessed me to do this thread when I’ve got no followers lmao. I just love this album and hope whoever comes across this gains an appreciation for how well this holds up after all these years