worth noting “Black on Both
Sides” samples songs from the
Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili
Peppers and other white artists.
Regardless, Mos’s posture of
detachment is indicative of an
intellectual independence lacking
in many of hip hop’s current chart-
toppers. It recalls the attitude taken
by Harlem Renaissance poet and
writer Langston Hughes in his
1926 essay “The Negro Artist and
the Racial Mountain:”
We younger Negro artists who cre
ate now intend to express our indi
vidual dark-skinned selves without
fear or shame. If white people are
pleased, we are glad. If they are not,
it doesn’t matter. If colored people
are pleased, we are glad. If they are
not, their displeasure doesn’t matter
either. We build our temples for
tomorrow, strong as we know how,
and we stand on top of that moun
tain, free within ourselves.
As “Rock and Roll” demon
strates, racial tensions makes up a
significant portion of Mos’s specif
ic subjectivity. In “Mr. Nigga,” he
digs even deeper, pairing up with
Q-Tip from the recently separated
A Tribe Called Quest to extend the
discussion of the term “nigger”
begun on Tribe’s 1993 release
“Midnight Marauders.” But “Black
on Both Sides” also takes up issues
from a universal perspective. In
“Ms. Fat Booty,” which samples
Aretha Franklin’s “One Step,” Mos
offers laments over love that peo
ple of all races can relate to. “New
World Water” talks about our col
lective abuse and misuse of the
environment. “Brooklyn” is a trib
ute to the artist’s home and an a
celebration of sights and people of
“Bucktown.”
But above all, it’s the sound, the
music, that gives “Black on Both
Sides” its power. The record treats
us to a wide range of samples,
joint efforts with Q-Tip and Busta
Rhymes, and explorations of vari
ous musical forms such as reggae
(similar to the sound of “Black
Star”) free-form jazz and blues all
paired with rapping, singing and
talking. Despite the album’s seri
ous subjectivity, tracks flow with
swiftness and lines drop with dex
terity. It’s heavy, yet buoyant —
replete with Brooklyn shout-outs
and a giggle or two from our eru
dite MC. And, unlike many other
male rappers, Mos’s singing voice
is not a mere enabler for smooth
transitions; it is actually one of the
artist’s best tricks.
Track for track, this album
offers both exemplary music AND
profound poetry. And, at a time
when songs like Warren G’s “I
want it all” top the Billboard Lists
(“I want it all, money, fast cars,
diamond rings, gold chains and
champagne....! want every damn
thing,”), Mos’s messages add some
much-needed depth to the game.
“Black on Both Sides” reminds us
that all hip hop is the latest string
in a long line of black lyrical
expression that dates back to the
times of slavery and, before that, to
Africa. “People ask me where hip
hop is goin,”’ Mos says on the
record’s intro, “Wherever we goin,’
hip hop is goin’ However we doin,’
hip hop is doin.’” Judging from
this release, hip hop - the real hip
hop — is doin’ alright.
Unlike many other male rap
pers, jVIos’s singing voice is
not a mere enabler for
smooth transitions.
15
Black Ink