Mos Def is the man. This is a great interview, Mos if you ever get a chance to read any of this stuff Assalamu'alaykum to you. And a quick response to Diachi26 down below; I saw Mos and Black thought live in San Diego and you're right.
WHAT IS THE UPDATE???? Thank you. Dear Mos Def ... please get your troop together and give us an update and make it big, so I can see ... and help publicize it.
That battle would be great in the rebirth of the genre. It could only do well for talented MCs. Even the mainstream can support this cuz it can boost album sales.
Hot 97 is basically the new Personal esquire for Hip Hop news and drama. But they're also the radio mafia. Pay up or get no airplay. I remember when DJ Red alert first dropped Hip Hop in the late 80's on 98/7 Kiss FM here in NYC (no idea what West Coast was doing). Social -political consciousness has left the music and that's what I love about Mos, defend progressive ideas amongst our people. Black, white, Latino, Asian, whatever. Of course his first priority is with his Afro American folks.
thats word. i got into an argument with somebody a few days ago about this exact same point. the truth of the matter is that the public is attached to jay-z not his skills. no matter what he does he still is put on a pedestal....
The cool thing about this interview is that the vid'eo that mos is reffering to the one that was "leaked". I had that video, it came in two parts. Mos def's friend had a youtube account and He posted up there. LOL now his page is "private". I think it's cool that I had the vids on my favorites before it was officially "leaked". peace.
i really hope this goes down. its good for hip hop on so many levels. its a charitable event, its underground vs mainstream (in a sense, something we've all been waiting 2 see), and it's not on that whole immature "beef" thing. it could be voted on who every1 thought spat the best not just by record sales (which we know is a poor way to judge what music is good these days since most people just download and some of the main masses who buy records r 12yo's who have their parents buy it for them).
@whybei No, he said it WAS private BUT he's not backing down from the claims he made ON camera. He said "I'm not saying I'm better, but I'm not saying they're better than me either". Where is the mental block that prevented you from hearing those parts? Or were you too caught up in trying to make the man look like a fool?
I appreciate your elaboration, and agree that it's all a matter of taste, but your response only furthers my initial point, all of the people you mentioned have legendary albums to their credit. My question was: what is Dooms seminal album(s) that justifies his inclusion in the list of greats. Im in no way insinuating that my preference is some objective law, I was just asking what part of his body of work is on the level of the aforementioned albums and Resurrection and Baduizm?
Damn this idea is amazing. If Jay had Eminem on his squad though, it'd be hard for me to choose sides. I love Em, but Mos and MF DOOM are SICK. But basically, no matter who wins, we'd all win in something like this.
Too many valid rappers/MC would be able to fight : Jay Z, Kanye, Pharoahe Monch, Eminem, Common, Cube, , Joey, J Cole, Kendrick, Killer Mike, Pusha T, Lupe, Talib, even T.I. I guess
YES! YES! FINALLY. SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. Lil wayne, soulja boy, jay z, are not at not and never will be the best, they are just popular and they get that confused with being the best.i say there are 3 criterias for the best rapper alive. #1- beats: dance beat? chill beat? tight beat? complicated?. #2- lyrics: complicated lyrics? story or meaning? rhymes? flow?. #2- sales: how many records you selling?. if you can truly conquer those 3 categories then you are the best alive
I know this will never happen, but Jay could easily pick up emcees that hes a big fan of...I can see Jada, Em, Lupe and 3000 on his roster, he might even get Ghostface or convince Kane or Kool G Rap to do it for charity...But one thing is for sure, he would try really hard to get Kweli on his team just to create a little controversy cause Jay likes to do things big. Much respect to Mos, one of my favorites i like that hes looking out for the legacies of Rick and Rakim.
bausahae: I think Mos was saying Jay has 2 go with some of his mainstream comrads, not just any MCs in hip hop. Really, he's saying Jay, Weezy, and all the other cats in the industry proclaiming themselves 2 be the best/greatest.
Funny how people don't give Mos his props. He's a great lyricist and is definitely in the upper echelon when it comes to Hip Hop artists. And dude who said Rakim can't hang with Jay Z...hahahah! You must be a young kat.
I think it really got blown out of proportion BECAUSE people wanted to see a Jigga/Mos battle so bad. That whole video just seemed like Mos was basically joking around to me. Then the media (Angie Martinez, sounding suspiciously reminiscent of the female DJ on Mos' version of "Children's Story") gets a hold of it and let's the story run wild. Glad Mos didn't back down, though. Why should he? Jay ain't scaring NOBODY. :D
hook that shit up! hook that shit up! hit shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!
@cqueano for me it would have to be: eminem Joe Budden Jay-Z Jadakiss Beanie Sigel now im not saying this is my dream team, but i think eminem plus these guys right here are the perfect match and could give mos' team a run for their money
Yea U can't go wrong with the G.O.A.T., Nas. But there are still a lot of ill MCs that could be a part of this like KRS-One, Rakim, Slick Rick, Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, Ludacris, Andre 3000, Guru, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and any member of the Wu-Tang
Well it didnt materialize because aint nobody crazy enough going against that team. Mos, Jay Electronica, DOOM, Nas and Blackthought. Seriously that team is unbeatable, theyd fucking rip any team to shreds.
Thing is Mos's crew is gonna have a huge leg up because none of them have the star power that Jay and his crew (probably like Andre 3000, Eminem, Jadakiss, Cassidy) have. These guys are still hungry, they are where they're at because they took a more purist approach (in my opinion). Plus Mos and Black Thought are just some of the sickest freestylers of our time.
THis is an interesting conversation. Sounds 2good2Btrue though. It'd be nice to see some real hip hop brought to the forefront again. Mos' new rekkid is amaaaaazing btw. Check his performance on Letterman last week. P.S. Here's my Wildcard team 1. Vanilla Ice 2. Freedom from C&C Music Factory 3. The Mr. Vain guy from Culture Beat 4. Will Smizzith 5. That guy from 2 Unlimited
Jay who? Z or Electronica? But my man Mos layed down the law. It's true though, a lot of aspects in rap that you have to master before saying you're the greatest. MASTERING them.
hmmm i propose another team... kenn starr, wordsworth, breeze brewin, inspektah dek w/madlib on tha beatz. otha katz i thought of were fonte' from little brother, blame one, queen herawin, and ghostface killah for emcees; exile, rza, jneiro jarel, oddisee, kev brown, flying lotus, or 9th wonder 4 beats among a few others.. gonna be reeeal toughhhhh up against black thought tho!!! he's a beeeeast of an emcee!!!
RE : PLANNING "SOUTH AFRICA" and other countries are facing a challenge in terms of age , gender and some related issues . Hillary Clinton Scores Decisive Super Tuesday Wins, Moves One Step Closer To Nomination
![Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def Exposing the Machine [Secret Societies]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HvTNPwT84co/mqdefault.jpg)
Oh my god, Mos Def has just pretty much described the best event in the world. I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
I love the way he seems to be able to rhyme (rap continue) to everything that he says, now that is true flow :)
Love that team! Nas, Mos Def and the Wu are my top rappers. Who ever I listened to last is my current favorite.
felt like mosdef had a laidback perception and she was trying to twist it into some ego thing
thanks for putting Stoupe in there, that dude is highly, highly underrated.
I would love to see this idea come to frution. Mos Def is talented. Way ahead of his time.
Mos Def, Black Thought, MF Doom, Jay Electronica, and Nas? Friendly competition my ass! That's a massacre waiting to happen. Stop playing!
Jesse S. all caps please...
The first five minutes of this video were prophetic. Now you can't do jack without someone recording you and sharing with the world.
Damn son!
You receive the *** REALEST POST ON TH-cam *** Award.
Jay will never battle & yes, Pac couldn't touch BIG in a battle.
Real talk. I agree with Mos, this would be really interesting to watch too!
:)
That's one hell of a dream team!
Mos Def is the man. This is a great interview, Mos if you ever get a chance to read any of this stuff Assalamu'alaykum to you. And a quick response to Diachi26 down below; I saw Mos and Black thought live in San Diego and you're right.
WHAT IS THE UPDATE???? Thank you.
Dear Mos Def ... please get your troop together and give us an update and make it big, so I can see ... and help publicize it.
That battle would be great in the rebirth of the genre. It could only do well for talented MCs. Even the mainstream can support this cuz it can boost album sales.
I would like to see/hear this...
it would be great for hip hop
Mos Def Is The Greatest!
Enough Said!
Damn!
his new album is a classic.
Man, Mos Def is rockin' a dope Yomiuri Giants hat from Japan! I want that! Cool!
mos, black thought, jay electronica, mf doom, and nas
i'd pay to see that
Hot 97 is basically the new Personal esquire for Hip Hop news and drama. But they're also the radio mafia. Pay up or get no airplay. I remember when DJ Red alert first dropped Hip Hop in the late 80's on 98/7 Kiss FM here in NYC (no idea what West Coast was doing). Social -political consciousness has left the music and that's what I love about Mos, defend progressive ideas amongst our people. Black, white, Latino, Asian, whatever. Of course his first priority is with his Afro American folks.
thats word. i got into an argument with somebody a few days ago about this exact same point.
the truth of the matter is that the public is attached to jay-z not his skills. no matter what he does he still is put on a pedestal....
SO WHAT GWAN WITH THE SUPER DOME> ?? When is it? When was this video recorded?
real talk..much luv mos
The cool thing about this interview is that the vid'eo that mos is reffering to the one that was "leaked". I had that video, it came in two parts. Mos def's friend had a youtube account and He posted up there. LOL now his page is "private". I think it's cool that I had the vids on my favorites before it was officially "leaked". peace.
I agree. 💪
this Battle of New Orleans NEEDS to happen!!
i would pay good money to be present at that event.
i really hope this goes down. its good for hip hop on so many levels. its a charitable event, its underground vs mainstream (in a sense, something we've all been waiting 2 see), and it's not on that whole immature "beef" thing. it could be voted on who every1 thought spat the best not just by record sales (which we know is a poor way to judge what music is good these days since most people just download and some of the main masses who buy records r 12yo's who have their parents buy it for them).
@whybei No, he said it WAS private BUT he's not backing down from the claims he made ON camera. He said "I'm not saying I'm better, but I'm not saying they're better than me either". Where is the mental block that prevented you from hearing those parts? Or were you too caught up in trying to make the man look like a fool?
my team The Untouchables 1. Rakim 2. Nas 3. A.Z 4. Mos Def 5. Lupe Fiasco
I appreciate your elaboration, and agree that it's all a matter of taste, but your response only furthers my initial point, all of the people you mentioned have legendary albums to their credit. My question was: what is Dooms seminal album(s) that justifies his inclusion in the list of greats. Im in no way insinuating that my preference is some objective law, I was just asking what part of his body of work is on the level of the aforementioned albums and Resurrection and Baduizm?
LOL "comin off some puffed up ego swag..." hahahahha
Damn this idea is amazing. If Jay had Eminem on his squad though, it'd be hard for me to choose sides. I love Em, but Mos and MF DOOM are SICK. But basically, no matter who wins, we'd all win in something like this.
props 2 mos. Skillset people
Rare clip of Mos Def inventing Verzuz 10 years prior
Very Very Cool Idea!
Things like this could help bring Hip hop culture and the rap game together.
EXACTLY 10+
dude this should be a tradition in hip hop like a major event annually
@whybei what video are you talking bout? i wanna see for myself
lol @ the guy in the back boppin his head to his earphones
Too many valid rappers/MC would be able to fight : Jay Z, Kanye, Pharoahe Monch, Eminem, Common, Cube, , Joey, J Cole, Kendrick, Killer Mike, Pusha T, Lupe, Talib, even T.I. I guess
Preach, mos def
what is the song playing at the start of the video?
PLEEEEEZE!
YES! YES! FINALLY. SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. Lil wayne, soulja boy, jay z, are not at not and never will be the best, they are just popular and they get that confused with being the best.i say there are 3 criterias for the best rapper alive. #1- beats: dance beat? chill beat? tight beat? complicated?. #2- lyrics: complicated lyrics? story or meaning? rhymes? flow?. #2- sales: how many records you selling?. if you can truly conquer those 3 categories then you are the best alive
that super battle needs to happen!
My dream team
1.Mos Def
2 Blackthought
3 Eminem
4 Kool G Rap
5 Phroah Monche
@MrIlleism She wasn't trying to instigate at all. If you want to see somebody who really just talks smack, look up "hip hop stan"
I know this will never happen, but Jay could easily pick up emcees that hes a big fan of...I can see Jada, Em, Lupe and 3000 on his roster, he might even get Ghostface or convince Kane or Kool G Rap to do it for charity...But one thing is for sure, he would try really hard to get Kweli on his team just to create a little controversy cause Jay likes to do things big. Much respect to Mos, one of my favorites i like that hes looking out for the legacies of Rick and Rakim.
can anyone link me the video she is referring to?
Old School vs. New School
Would not be fair... The New School would get MURDERED hahahaha
Mos, Black Thought, Doom, Jay Elect, AND Nas? Man it's over before the battle even started.
this is hip hop hands down
Like Andre 3000 said, I'd rather be #2, because then you got something to work for and look forward to.
@holidaykingston yea i love slick ricks voice. its so smooth and just flows the a river lol
Big ups to Mos Def!
bausahae: I think Mos was saying Jay has 2 go with some of his mainstream comrads, not just any MCs in hip hop. Really, he's saying Jay, Weezy, and all the other cats in the industry proclaiming themselves 2 be the best/greatest.
Do it up for Rakim, BP and the real lyricists out there.
Funny how people don't give Mos his props. He's a great lyricist and is definitely in the upper echelon when it comes to Hip Hop artists.
And dude who said Rakim can't hang with Jay Z...hahahah! You must be a young kat.
@loganajoshua
It's on TH-cam. Just type in "Mos Def Jay-Z". The second and third videos(part one and two) are what she's referring to.
I think it really got blown out of proportion BECAUSE people wanted to see a Jigga/Mos battle so bad. That whole video just seemed like Mos was basically joking around to me. Then the media (Angie Martinez, sounding suspiciously reminiscent of the female DJ on Mos' version of "Children's Story") gets a hold of it and let's the story run wild. Glad Mos didn't back down, though. Why should he? Jay ain't scaring NOBODY. :D
Mos Def greatest rapper alive
yeah i herd about that, i guess for legal reasons they were only able to film jays part
In no particular order...
1.Jeru Tha Damaja
2.Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang)
3.Buck Shot (Black Moon)
4.Geechi Suede (Camp Lo)
5.Butterfly AKA Ish (Digable Planets)
Mos Def made a good point here about the Jay-Z thing
but he needs to hurry up and get that Battle set up
Mos didn't want to overkill so he didn't say talib lol
hook that shit up! hook that shit up! hit shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!Hook that shit up!
12 Years Before “ Verzuz “
Jay Lec+Mos+Doom+Blackthought would fuckin murder a team
this would be the livest shit ever and u could say what you want but mos def would put it on anybody who come to the table jay-z included real talk
"You dang right but the team Mos would put up would crazy. There team name would be destory! any rapper. DESTORY
Sadly, this battle never materialized. Rappers are too scared
ok, but its a big diff between being nice on a album & being nice in a freestyle battle...who wins the battle??
plus he from New Orleans
thats prolly why he got him since its a New Orleans benefit thang.
@cqueano for me it would have to be:
eminem
Joe Budden
Jay-Z
Jadakiss
Beanie Sigel
now im not saying this is my dream team, but i think eminem plus these guys right here are the perfect match and could give mos' team a run for their money
Mos Def's team would decimate any one's team.
Verzuz b4 versus def was ahead of his time
what's the candid interview thing he's talking about?
I can't believe he wouldn't want Talib on his team!!!
Yea U can't go wrong with the G.O.A.T., Nas. But there are still a lot of ill MCs that could be a part of this like KRS-One, Rakim, Slick Rick, Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, Ludacris, Andre 3000, Guru, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and any member of the Wu-Tang
Has anyone excepted the challenge as of yet?
I was shocked that Kweli wasn't in his dream team.
Well it didnt materialize because aint nobody crazy enough going against that team.
Mos, Jay Electronica, DOOM, Nas and Blackthought.
Seriously that team is unbeatable, theyd fucking rip any team to shreds.
@tahja215 Guru is criminally underrated. So what he got Primo's backing? Guys still gotta spit fire to make a song awesome
yo i havent heard real like that since iLLmatic
So im just saying Thank you
battle of New Orleans would be huge if it happens
Damn Yasiin really came up with verzuz
get jay, em, lupe, common, and maybe chamill and it could be a decent
Mos is making a word mean something, once again. I hope this catches fire.
best rappers alive....rakim, nas, slick rick, scarface, mos def and gza
great idea...hope it happens!
whatever happened to the battle?
Thing is Mos's crew is gonna have a huge leg up because none of them have the star power that Jay and his crew (probably like Andre 3000, Eminem, Jadakiss, Cassidy) have. These guys are still hungry, they are where they're at because they took a more purist approach (in my opinion). Plus Mos and Black Thought are just some of the sickest freestylers of our time.
rofl nas and mos def the 2 best lyricists ever, on the same team ? i call that a shutout
THis is an interesting conversation. Sounds 2good2Btrue though. It'd be nice to see some real hip hop brought to the forefront again. Mos' new rekkid is amaaaaazing btw. Check his performance on Letterman last week.
P.S. Here's my Wildcard team
1. Vanilla Ice
2. Freedom from C&C Music Factory
3. The Mr. Vain guy from Culture Beat
4. Will Smizzith
5. That guy from 2 Unlimited
Jay who? Z or Electronica? But my man Mos layed down the law. It's true though, a lot of aspects in rap that you have to master before saying you're the greatest. MASTERING them.
Basically a higher level of versus
*that young lady next to him is very pretty. Lil curly fro and stuff.
Just for show, Jay-z's team should b
lil wayne
50cent
T.I.
The Game
hmmm i propose another team...
kenn starr, wordsworth, breeze brewin, inspektah dek w/madlib on tha beatz.
otha katz i thought of were fonte' from little brother, blame one, queen herawin, and ghostface killah for emcees; exile, rza, jneiro jarel, oddisee, kev brown, flying lotus, or 9th wonder 4 beats among a few others..
gonna be reeeal toughhhhh up against black thought tho!!! he's a beeeeast of an emcee!!!
Word
oooo you hear the em reference at 255 hahaha (i aint makin a diss record or goin in on somebody's girl)
RE : PLANNING
"SOUTH AFRICA" and other countries are facing a challenge in terms of age , gender and some related issues .
Hillary Clinton Scores Decisive Super Tuesday Wins, Moves One Step Closer To Nomination