08.13.99
The September'99 issue of CMJ New Music Magazine has Bahamadia saying that Mos
Def is "the second coming of Q-Tip," and this bothers me.  It bothers me for several
reasons.  For one thing, Bahamadia is an amazing emcee and giant part of today's Hip Hop 
movement, so how could she say something so idle.  However, she isn't the only person 
that has been saying this.  I've heard it from several and read it all over.  It has been the 
main focus of many reviews of the Black Star album and still, to me, the comparison to A 
Tribe Called Quest is inherently unfounded.
To pose criticism (whether positive or negative) upon Mos as a simple reproduction of 
Q-Tip completely discredits who and what Mos Def is.  Rather than attempting to tackle 
the profoundness that Mos encompasses, they find it easier to pass him off as a carbon 
copy of something that we have already seen and been able to, after several attempts, 
understand.  It is simply a lack of an attempt to understand Mos for who he is.  Yet I 
realize why some feel the need to liken him to something or someone that is known.  In a
broad sense, I feel this is a part of the reason that the Hip Hop that Mos and many of his 
contemporaries have been producing recently has been pigeon-holed as "alternative."  It 
allows people, outsiders, that have nothing to do with the music, the culture, or the vibe, an 
opportunity to comment upon the matter.
Mos Def IS Hip Hop.  He is simply himself.  Not an immitation or replication of any that 
have come before.  This brings up another reason why this comparison troubles me.  Q-Tip 
is still doing what he is doing, so where has he gone that there could be a "second coming."  
Q-Tip is undoubtedly one of the most creative, significant, and influential persons in Hip 
Hop, so I also feel that this comparison does him a disservice.  Basically, all I am saying is 
that Mos Def deserves to be judged as Mos Def, for all that he has done and for all that he 
might accomplish.
With his new gig as the host of MTV's "Hip Hop Nation" (starting in Septemeber 1999) 
and, having had the opportunity to listen to a few of the tracks that will be released on the 
"Black on Both Sides" album ("Very Well," "Speed Law," and others), I feel that Mos has 
already reserved a place in hip-hop's annals and is on the verge of opening the noses of the 
rest of society.  Nonetheless, Mos Def puts it best himself, "I give a damn if any fan recall 
my legacy/ I'm trying to live life in the sight of God's memory."  Like that y'all.