Mos Def - "Universal Magnetic / If You Can
Huh, You Can Hear"
(Rawkus)
Another strong release from the hip-
hop indie, Rawkus. The sleeve of this 12"
is a full picture of Mos Def on stage, a nice
change from the usual plain black sleeves
that I've gotten too used to.
Mos Def is Dante Bize, a 24 year-
old MC / actor, who you might have seen on
TV as the cashier in those Visa adverts.
This single was produced by Shawn J.
Period, for whom my respect grows with
every track I hear. Rawkus, don't lose him.
This is the first 12" I bought from Mos, and it
was worth much more than the $6 it cost. I
almost feel like I ripped the store off. :)
The a-side is the vocal / instr. side
of Universal Magnetic, and it starts off with
a minimal beat, and Mos doing his thing
alphabet style. After a little introduction, the
track gets a little funkier, a little jazzier, but
focus is where it should be, on Mos. He's
got mad creativity, and his rhymes draw
from everywhere: "Now you should go and
tell your clientele / They need to get the
message like Melle Mel."
The flip is a slower track, starting off
with a gong, and using samples from Herbie
Hancock's "Maiden Voyage."
to check the lyrics from Universal Magnetic:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~dtursany/rammy/uni
versl.tx
or listen @ www.sandboxautomatic.com
.jeff / chris.
.do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own
. you may both be wrong .