MOS DEF NEWS & WORLD REPORT- with news contributor EV Daviduk ISSUE IIX Vol:II please send additions to: R_Alam@Hotmail.Com

AUG 23, 2000
Lyricist Lounge Tour Dates: MOS DEF LIVE

9/10/00        Sun            Chicago                         House of Blues
9/12/00        Tues           Denver                          Fox
9/14/00        Thurs          Portland                        Roseland
9/15/00        Fri              San Francisco               Maritime Hall
9/17/00        Sun            Los Angeles                   House of Blues
9/20/00        Wed           New Orleans                 House of Blues
9/21/00        Thurs          Atlanta                         Variety Playhouse
9/23/00        Sat            Orlando                          House of Blues
9/26/00        Tues           Pittsburgh                       Laga
9/27/00        Wed            Boston                         Avalon
9/28/00        Thurs         Burlington VT                 Higherground
10/1/00        Sun            DC                                Nation
10/2/00        Mon            Philadelphia, PA            Electric Factory
10/4/00        Wed           Lawrence, KS                Liberty Hall
10/5/00       Thurs          St Louis                         Firehousel
10/6/00        Fri              Detroit                         St. Andrews
10/7/00        Sat            Milwaukee                       Rave

This is all I know, please don't ask for times, ticket prices, opening acts, etc.
This is all the information I have.

MAY 20, 2000
"Dear all people of conscience - culture -& resistance,   benefit concert for mumia and victims of police brutality will go on.

What: Hip-Hop / Spoken Word Concert to benefit Campaigns to Free Mumia and Fight Police Brutality

saturday june 3rd. 2000. doors open 7pm. show 8pm - 11pm hunter college north building assembly hall 68th street and lexington ave. NYC 212. 772. 4261

call 212. 726. 8869 for ticket info tickets are going - call in to reserve or buy - hunter college usg nkiru books blackout books Ticket Info: Raachi 212 772 4344

headliners: mos def, dead prez, black thought (roots) performers: earthdriver, rockafella, suheir hammad, yazeed, dj ronson guest celebs to boot!!

tickets are $15 for students $20 for non... all proceeds go directly to benefit anti-police brutality work and to help free mumia!

we must continue to struggle for justice for the victims in our lives. this concert brings young people of all backgrounds united against racism, police terror, criminalization of youth of color, and for  the political prisoners in the united states.
please promote to your friends!! if you are interested in helping out we have plenty of billets at hunter usg. hunter college - 6 train to 68th and lex. build. hunter north 121..  all help is appreciated in selling out a two thousand seater - and building a movement.

In response to the growing tide of police brutality in New York and the rail-roading of framed death row inmate Mumia Abu Jamal, leading Hip-Hop and spoken word artists have come together with New York youth groups to organize Voice for the Voiceless: FTP (VFV: FTP). This event which is spearheaded by Mumia Youth Task force, SLAM! Hunter College, and The Malcolm X Grassroots Organization, will continue the tradition of Hip-Hop as the youth voice of protest and disaccord with the conditions in which we live. “As Guiliani seeks to destroy our lives by controlling & brutalizing us, it seems logical that our response must be on our own terms,” explains  (VFV: FTP) organizer Rachel Laforest, “for youth that means a culture of resistance. Youth created the Hip-Hop culture and are using it as and intricate part of our struggle for justice”

At a time when youth are constantly confronted with police brutality and the systems total lack of will to stop it, it only seems natural to youth that we
must stand up for political death row prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. “Mumia represents to us the extent to which police brutality is not only
institutionalized, but also the degree to which the government is willing to go to silence those who have stood up and fearlessly exposed and decried it,”
says Laforest on the motivation to link police brutality and and the case of Mumia Abu Jamal. Mumia is a journalist who has been on death row for 18 years
after being framed for the death of a police officer in Philadelphia. Mumia, a life long activist for his people, has received numerous awards for his
journalism and exposes of rank corruption and police brutality in Philadelphia.

The event which features some of the most popular Hip-Hop stars today, will  be anything but your average concert or rally. Intertwined with live
performances of the most popular youth songs of the day to move the body will be spoken word to move the soul. Mixed in with the music that unifies us will
be speakers to motivate us to struggle. Along with our musical heroes will be activist, and former political prisoners all on one stage. “When we come
together to rally, protest, or speak out the police are always there to control and intimidate us, but when we come together to party for justice and
freedom- nobody can stop us,” states Julia Grab, one of the high school students who are playing a leading role in organizing the event."

MAR 28, 2000
peace.. here's the info on the April 15th show.. thanks to Ashley H. for the details, good looking out:
"The concert is a benefit for Mumia/MOVE 9.  All the proceeds go to benefit the legal defenses and activity in support of the MOVE 9 and Mumia Abu-Jamal-

Date:  Saturday, April 15, 2000
Time: Doors open @ 7 p.m.; Show begins promptly @ 8 p.m.
Location: The Black House, 51st & Lancaster Streets, Philadelphia, PA
(across from Lancaster Hall, look for the flashing light)
Admission: $20
Bill to Date: Seeds of Wisdom
                 Rebel Lion ft. Survival Soundz (Roots & Culture House Band of the former Thoughtformz)
                 Name ft. Grand Agent (Philly's Hottest Underground Hip-Hop Group)
                 Lost Children of Babylon ft. Goldilocks
                 DJ Ghetto (One of Illadelph's hottest DJs)
                 Pharoahe Monch
                 Mos Def
 More TBA!"

"Mixtape master, Tony Touch's album, "The Piece Maker", on Tommy Boy, sounds like a hot one - standout tracks include "The Piece Maker" feat. Gang Starr, "The Abduction" feat. Wu-Tang Clan, "Basics" - Prodigy of Mobb Deep (prod. by Alchemist), "Get Back" by Eminem & Dirty Dozen, "What's That" feat. De La Soul & Mos Def, and "The Foundation" by Big Pun & Sunkist, just to name a few….Watch out for it soon"

"Rawkus is making a cool move with their next few 12" singles. What would happen if jazz legend Ronnie Jordan collaborated with Mos Def and DJ Spinna? It's happening for a special remix of Jordan's "A Brighter Day", and will be released under Rawkus / Blue Note. How fresh is that?"

"Following the acquittal of the four police officers who killed Amadou Diallo, Rawkus Entertainment artists Mos Def and Talib Kweli respond by remaining on the cutting edge of artist activism.

"The saddest thing about this," said Kweli following the verdict," is that I'm not surprised. This is just further confirmation that Black people in this country have no rights that white people or the government are bound to respect. Still, we must recognize that police brutality is not a Black issue, it is a violation of the rights of human beings everywhere."

In Mos Def's comments, he emphasized the fact that one of the aquitted officers, Kenneth Boss, was also involved in the killing of Patrick Bailey in 1997, in which another unarmed man was shot 27 times in Brooklyn. "This took place less than 2 years prior to the Diallo killing," said Mos Def. "At this rate can we expect the hail of 55 bullets to be unloaded on another New Yorker by next fall? 69 bullets the fall after that? To New Yorkers who feel that this is a "Black" issue, I say this is a HUMAN issue. To those tinkering with the semantics of "crime" and "tragedy," I say what happened that night in the Bronx was both. To people who seek justice, to the Amadou Diallo family, and to everyone who speaks against oppression, I say, FEAR NOT, Allah is the best of judges."

But while the entire country discusses the Diallo verdict, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are responding with both words and actions. The next two weeks will see the release of a new Video and CD maxi-single, the launching of a new foundation, and a benefit concert in California.  Following the tragic killings of Amadou Diallo and Tyesha Miller by police in New York and Los Angeles, Mos Def and Talib Kweli put out a call to the hip-hop community to address the issues of police brutality. Due to the overwhelming response, what was slated to be a single evolved into a four-song maxi-single called "Hip Hop For Respect." The video for the track "One For Love- Pt. 1," featuring Kool G Rap, Pos (De La Soul), Common, Pharoahe Monch, Sporty Thievz, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Rah Digga, Talib Kweli, and Mos Def will be available March 6th. The highly anticipated 'Hip Hop For Respect' project will be released March 21st.

Proceeds from the maxi-single will go to the Hip-Hop For Respect Foundation (HHFRF). HHFRF is a non-profit organization that strives to encourage those who profit from the entertainment industry to accept responsibility and leadership roles in the very communities in which their fan base lives, works and plays. The HHFRF is planning a high school tour and an educational campaign that will focus on instructing youth on what to do and what not to do if stopped by the police. Not since the days of Stop The Violence and We Are The World have so many artists come together to unite, educate and create change. HHFRF will carry that tradition into the new millennium."

• According to the Daily Hip-Hop News section at allhiphop.com , the word reads as follows:

"According to sources, Mos Def has been dropped from the D'Angelo Voodoo tour. Mos, who released his Black On Both Sides album on Rawkus Records, wasn't on the entire tour, but was doing some shows when his schedule permitted. Apparently, Rawkus has some beef with the costs associated with Mos Def being on the tour, even though the Black On Both Sides album is approaching Platinum Status ..."

FEB 21, 2000
I have been reporting for the past week that Mos Def's 'BLACK ON BOTH SIDES' album was certified platinum.  EV our man on the street, however, emailed me with the following:

"Billboard magazine stated that Mos Def's 'BLACK ON BOTH SIDES' album was certified platinum a few weeks ago.  Yet many people at various online hiphop message boards have been stating that the certification may only be for albums *shipped*, and not actually units moved. The reason being is that supposedly it wasn't long ago that 'Black on both sides' had been certified gold, thus it seemed a little too early to have also gone platinum so soon thereafter. Anyway, I flipped on the tv ... (at around 7:45pm, PT on Saturday, Feb. 19th) and Mos Def turns out to be the musical guest on BET's 'Live from L.A.' program. * I'm not sure whether or not this was a repeat broadcast or not, but Mos D' performs "Ms. Fat Booty". All is well and good. Then just after the performance he's allowed a quick spot to plug any upcoming events/projects he's got planned, and he went about thanking the fans for making 'Black on both sides' a *GOLD* record, and to look for him on D'Angelo's tour later this spring. Hmmm .... was this a repeat broadcast? Although him mentioning the D'Angelo tour is quite current R&B news though. Interesting..."

EV brings up a good point about the BET broadcast.  Mos' performing "Ms Fat Booty" seems as if it may have been an encore presentation since his latest single is "Umi Says."  I also read in an article in a Philadelphia paper that "B.O.B.S." was certified gold, however the article was from two weeks ago... Well, upon further investigation, it seems that Billboard.com has changed the certifaction to GOLD.. Gold or platinum, that's still quite an accomplishment.  Major props to EV for the continued support... EV is also the news contributor at Body Rott's Eminem page.

The long awaited Hip Hop for Respect protest EP finally has a release date.  According to Sonicnet.com, the album, which is called "One Four Love" and features Black Star, Pos Dnous, Kool G Rap, Rah Digga, Sporty Thievz, Common, Pharoahe Monch and others recording under the name Hip Hop for Respect, is due for release March 14th.
"The EP protests the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed black immigrant[shot to death] by police in the Bronx (N.Y.), last year.  Organized Noize produced "One Four Love Part 1 - Reversing the Hate" and "One Four Love Part II - Flipping the Script." The other two songs, "A Tree Never Grown" and "Protective Custody," were produced by 88 Keys and Khalyil, respectively. Black Star plan to hold a New York benefit concert in March to raise money for various charities, including the Amadou Diallo Foundation, an organization that provides assistance to African immigrants."

FEB 12, 2000
There is no official info on the UCLA show as of yet, other than it's Black Star and KRS-One performing at the "Hip Hop Explosion" show.  Here's the info for March 3rd show:

Artists United Against Proposition 21: Mos Def and Talib Kweli (of Black
Star), MeShell Ndegeocello and Ozomatli challenge the political system at
the one and only Schools not Jails Benefit Concert, at the Santa Cruz
Civic Auditorium, Friday March 3rd. Proceeds go to the No on 21 Campaign,
Critical Resistance and Barrios Unidos. Get vocal, get active - get there!
Show starts promptly at 7:30pm.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 12th at 10:00am at the Santa Cruz
Civic Auditorium Box office or TicketMaster Charge by phone at 408-998-Tixs (8497).

February 2nd, 2000, Mos Def's album, "Black on Both Sides" was certified platinum by Billboard magazine!  Platinum standing means that the album has sold over one million copies.  Give it up for the Mos Def.  And good looking out to you for buying the record and helping him reach this peak... see for yourself here - thanks to Ev for the heads up.

Mos Def was the guest star on MTV's new hip-hop/sketch comedy show the Lyricist's Lounge Show, with regulars like Wordsworth (of Punch-n-Words) and Baby Power.  Mos was featured in a skit where he threatens to jump off a building as Wordsworth tries to talk him down, you can watch it here (from MTV.com).  There was also an entertaining freestyle at the end of the show as the credits rolled.  Check MTV.com for show times.  The webiste also has archives of the shows with video snippets of skits.

FEB 05, 2000
Alright kids, here's the latest dope... Mos is on the new Common Sense album "Like Water for Chocolate" due out in March.  A source from Vibe.com tells me he is featured on the track "The Question," and sings the hook on the track "Afrodesiac For the World."  Now doesn't that make you wanna fast forward the calender a few weeks to March 28th.  Mos is also featured on the new DJ Honda album "HIII" on a track called "Foundation."  And I heard he will be guest appearing on the next fabulous Black Eyed Peas album.  I don't care, BEPs are hella-DOPE!!

For anyone at the Electric Factory Jan 31st, you were in for a treat.  My man Bress informs me that before Mos Def opened for Macy Gray, Dice Raw and ?uestlove performed a little sumpin sumpin... then Mos brought out on stage the one and only Eryka Badu (I'm in love with the woman.. repsect to Andre..) with whom he did an extended version of "Umi Says."  What a night it must have been!  By the way, J Rawls tells me Mos just completed shooting the video for the next single, "Umi Says."

Richard Louissaint of Vibe and Blaze.com wrote an article at Blaze.com about Jazz artist Weldon Irvine most recent project.  Moved by the shooting death of Amadou Diallo by police, Irvine put together a compilation entitled "The Price of Freedom... Truth: The Amadou Diallo Project."  The album features Q-Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Rich Medina, RhaGoddess and others.  For more info on The Price of Freedom, call (516)481-5354.

The EV report:
Courtesy of contributor "Exodus" at http://www.manhunt.com 's news section ...
[Nkiru Books Presents Foundations Showcase]
"African bookstore Nkiru Books, owned by rap artists Mos Def and Talib Kweli, will be holding its monthly showcase, Foundations, on February 26, 2000. The showcase features an open mic and spoken work poetry.  The two purchased the bookstore in 1998 after the original store owners ran into financial troubles."

JAN 20, 2000
Date: Friday, 28 January, 2000
Time: 7 p.m.
Tix: $20
Location:  Church of the Adovcate, 18th & Diamond Streets, Philadelphia, PA
Bill: Seeds of Wisdom (MOVE's rap group, see www.movellja.org)
      Rebel Lion (Black Panther Collective)
      War Club (American Indian Movement)
      Goldiilocks (Mumia's stepdaughter)
      Lost Children of Babylon (United Nuwabian Nation of Moors)
      Name
      Dead Prez/People's Liberation Army
      Dj Ghetto
      Black Star
Afterparty: Wilhemina's, 11th Street, between Spruce and Pine
Afterparty Bill: The Architects
             Lmmentals
Contact Info: aharvey@sas.upenn.edu
                     215.476.8812
Proceeds:  Funds go to benefit the legal defense and activity supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal and the MOVE 9.  The money will  go directly to Internationally Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal (founded by Pam Africa and Mumia Abu-Jamal) and the MOVE organization.

The EV report:  [MOS DEF TAKES A STAND]  Credit: http://www.vibe.com 's VIBEWIRE section
"Rapper Mos Def has released a statement regarding the sentencing of Nathaniel Abraham, one of
the youngest murder defendants in U.S. history. Abraham, of Pontiac, MI, was convicted of second
degree murder on Tuesday, January 11, for shooting a stranger outside a convenience store with a
rifle when he was 11 years old. He is now 13 years old and will be sent to a juvenile detention
center until he turns 21. The case gained national attention when Abraham faced the possibility
of becoming the first youth prosecuted under a Michigan law that allows prosecutions of children
of any age involved in serious felony cases. Mos Def, also a member of the conscious rap duo
Black Star, decided to speak out on the situation. "You do not arrive at justice by punishing a
child as a man. In the same way you do not arrive at justice by punishing a man as a child," the
statement reads. "This type of policy in law does nothing to deter youth from crime, rather it
criminalizes youth. I can't imagine what type of adults that this hostile, bitter, angry climate
hopes to produce. For the sake of our young people in this country and across the world I beg
you to help this child. Sending him to reach adulthood in prison is of no benefit to anyone and
is a poor testament to our level of commitment and compassion to our youth. If this generation
is lost, it is because we have let go of their hands."

Also, some good info' courtesy of http://www.allhiphop.com , by way of a link at
http://www.aka.com ... "In Rawkus related news, Mos Def is doing a show with Macy Gray at the
Roseland in New York City, Feb. 12th. The next Mos Def single will be Umi Says from his
critically acclaimed Black On Both Sides album."

The following was taken from a CDNow.com review/news piece.  You can find the page at this link..

                     Mos Def: FAVORITES
                     ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Compiled by Oliver Wang

                     When touring, Mos Def of the hip-hop duo Black Star is  known to tote around a CD travel case. Not one of
                     those pithy 10-disc wallets, not even the bigger 40-disc  totes, but a 100-plus-disc monster filled to the seams
                     with albums from across the musical spectrum. For an  MC who takes lyrical inspiration from writers as far and
                     wide as Chinua Achebe and Edward Albee, you can  expect his musical tastes to run just as diversely, too.

                     ||| 1 |||||||  De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead
                     Mos Def: "The level of imagination and steadfastness to theme, it was so consistent
                     and well-rounded. A complete project, very well thought-out, and well executed."
                     ||| 2 ||||||   Charles Mingus: Mingus Plays Piano
                     "I was drawn to the intimacy, which is not to say Mingus was the greatest piano
                     player, but it was a very intimate setting to have the musician play his own
                     compositions on the piano with no other accompaniment. Even if it's not the most
                     technical style, it was very raw in an unfiltered presentation of an artist. And his idea
                     of his music and his relationship to it. What you're hearing is the spine of what you
                     hear on other compositions."
                     ||| 3 |||||||  Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music
                     "Goddammit, that's fucking music."
                     ||| 4 ||||||   Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners
                     "The staff -- Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Max Roach -- was ridiculous. And the
                     compositions were so imaginative, and he was so true to the be-bop form. He was
                     inimitable. Nobody could play like Monk. It wasn't like Monk was in or out; he was just
                     him."
                     ||| 5 ||||||   Nas: Illmatic
                     "A dope album, incredible lyricism. It was economical; he didn't waste any space on it."
                     ||| 6 |||||    Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius
                     "There's bass before Jaco, but nobody's played bass since then. This dude is using the
                     bass as the lead instrument. Then he's using it as a solo instrument, and he's doing
                     this harmonically and things with chords that are radical. No one sounds like him.
                     There's this element of imagination and distinction of identity that he applies to his
                     high level of technical skill. I know how to play the basic lines, but I can't make it
                     sound like Jaco."
                     ||| 7 ||||||   Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders
                     "They sounded like they were just having fun. Like they had really settled into 'this is
                     what we sound like, this is who we are.' They were swinging with it."
                     ||| 8 |||||    Steely Dan: Aja
                     "It was so good, very listenable music. My dad used to play it all the time."
                     ||| 9 |||||    Frank Zappa: Apostrophe
                     "Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. It's a story told to music, but the level of playfulness that
                     he approaches makes it totally accessible. He has a very casual attitude of playing
                     double-arpeggios. It's really refreshing because music is so often presented with a
                     furrowed-brow attitude."

hiphopsite.com's "news on the dl" says:
"DJ Honda is hard at work on his new album "H III", which is due out in early 2000. So far, all new
collaborations have been recorded with Mos Def, Manifest, Rawcotiks, plus Problemz, Black Attack, and
Al Tariq (collectively known as Missin' Linx.) Should be interesting, look for it soon...."

JAN 05, 2000
Info to the January 15th show: "The Student Hip-Hop Organization of Washington (The SHOW) will hold their 1st ever event on MLK Day Weekend, Saturday, January 15 at the University of Washington (Seattle), HUB Ballroom featuring fine hip-hop from:
Mos Def
Source of Labor
Black Anger featuring Bedroom Produksionz
Beyond Reality
DJ Topspin
as well as cultural speakers commemorating Dr Martin Luther King Jr from: Black Student Commission-Al Black, other guests and organizations TBA
Tickets: $18 for ALL-AGES general admission $14 for UW students with valid identification
Sold beginning JAN 5 at Cellophane Square (U-District, Capitol Hill), Earl’s Cuts and Styles,
Valentine’s Barbershop, UW HUB Ticket Office, Sonic Boom Records"

My main man Ev. reports: "Mos' 'Black on Both Sides' album was voted the 23rd best album of the year,  according to the critics at the Wall Of Sound website, in their annual 'Critics' Top 25  Albums of the Year'. Check out the many other artists and acts honoured at:    http://wallofsound.go.com/features/criticsTop25/critics_top25_99.html."

Also, it's rather official... you will probably be able to start checking in on Mos and Kweli at Okayplayer.com.  The home of the Roots, Common, and D'Angelo will now also host Black Star.

DEC 11, 1999
It's been awhile, huh.  Well, here's some news from MTV.Com (brought to my attention by Ev., thanks man):

"Mos Def Acting Up- After releasing his first solo album, "Black On Both Sides," earlier this year, Black Star member  Mos Def is now looking to kick off a film career.  The rapper's big screen debut is in the newly released independent flick "Where's Marlowe?" (official Paramount pictures site ; or the film-maker's site).  In it, Mos plays a New York University Film School graduate whom, along with a fellow NYU alumnus, is making a documentary film about a pair of Los Angeles detectives. Mos co-stars in "Where's Marlowe?" with John Livingston.  Mos Def is no newcomer to acting; he landed his first gig at the age of 16 as a recurring character on the CBS series "You Take The Kids," before becoming a regular on the ABC series "God Bless The Child." In 1994, he joined the cast of "The Cosby Mysteries," and has also appeared on "Oz," "NYPD Blue," and "Spin City." Next year, he will co-star with Jada Pinkett-Smith in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled." -- John Gill

"The Roots, Black Star, Common, K-Ci & JoJo, and others will be gracing the soundtrack to the much heralded film "The Hurricane" come January.  The movie, directed by Norman Jewison and starring Denzel Washington, tells the story of boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter who was wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years on a triple murder charge and immortalized in song by Bob Dylan.  The Roots along with Common and Mos Def have covered the Dylan track for the film... Mos Def and his Black Star partner Talib Kweli have themselves reworked a classic for the venture: Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which appears as a new song called "Little Brother."  The soundtrack is scheduled for release January 11, while the movie will hit theaters in Los Angeles and New York for a brief run December 28 before going wide on January 14."

OCT 06, 1999
The following is the originally circulating track list for Mos' "Black on Both Sides:"
1."Hip Hop" 2."Love" 3."Know That" (ft. Talib Kweli) 4."Mathematics" 5."Palestinian" 6."The Next Universe" 7."Brooklyn In 3 Moods" 8."Magnificent" 9. "New World Water" 10."Home" 11."Speed Law" 12."Do It Now" (ft. Busta Rhymes)13."Fear Not Of Man" 14."Ms. Fat Booty" 15."Universal Magnetic"

SEPT 29,1999
Well, the album is due in about two weeks!!  You can check out the track listing and pre-order it from almost any online cd store.  The first single will most likely be "Ms. Fat Booty" b/w "Mathematics."  "Ms. Fat Booty" is a fun joint about meeting a lady at a club.  "All Praise Due" is another single that is currently out, produced by ADLIB.  The track, an uplifting and strictly positive piece about God and faith, will be included on a compilation entitled "Urban Renewal."  (Check the discography for audio to these songs along with "Do It Now (w/ Busta Rhymes)" and "Hip Hop".)  I finally heard, and you can too, the "Hip Hop for Respect" track.  It was an exclusive from WKCR (or something) and features Kool G. Rap, Rah Digga, Sporty Thieves, Common, Punch-n-Words, Kweli, Pharoah Monch and Mos Def on the chorus.  I was very happily surprised by the result.  Also, the website wodie.com reports that the next Black Star album is tenatively slated for release in the spring of 2000 and may be titled "Blackstar Gallactica."  Finally, you might be able to catch Mos at your local newstand in ads for 555-SOUL clothing.

SEPT 2, 1999
Here's the show information for the Nkiru Books benefit shows:

"3 Nights of Blackstar and VERY Special Guests
 Sept 4th, 5th and 6th (Sat.,Sun.,Mon.)
 Knitting Factory
 74 Leonard Street (212-219-3055)
 Doors: 9 p.m.
 All Ages
 $15 - Advanced tickets at Ticketweb.com and Fat Beats"

AUG17, 1999
Real quick, I wanted to let you know about this little piece of info dj esss dropped on me (peace Don): "Mos Def/Kweli [will be performing] three shows coming up in NY at the Knitting Factory, on Sept. 4,5, and 6... They are benefits for Nkiru Books."  And that's all the information I have, sorry... I'll keep the site updated...
Run out and buy this month's issue of CMJ New Music Magazine.  Along with a cover story about Mos and underground hip hop, it includes a cd sampler with the "Black On Both Sides" track "Speed Law," as well as "B-Boy Document 99."  Read the lyrics to "Speed Law" now...

AUG 6, 1999
I'm sure most of you have seen the "B-Boy Document 99" video (I haven't...) but I hear its on some space-futuristic tip.  Mos is featured in an article in this month's Ray Gun magazine (Red Hot Chilli Peppers on the cover).  It's a quality article that delves into more of Mos' philosophy and a bit about his upcoming album on Rawkus.  J Rawls tells me that Mos will also be releasing an album on his Good Tree label, which Rawls produced three tracks on... Rawls also let me hear an exclusive from the "Black On Both Sides" album.  A gem called "LOVE" which was also produced by 88 Keys (just as "Very Well" was...)  "Love" is on the positive vibe, with a great Mos covering a hook from an old Rakim track (I can't remember it right now, something about putting the pen to the pad and the ink starts to sink between the lines..).  ?uestlove recently stated (about a week ago) on  Okayplayer.com that "Mos announced his record should be finished in two weeks." )  By the way, if any of you were planning to buy Mos' import single "All My People" (see discography) DON'T... unless you are a DJ.  All it is is a party break record with the line "All my people in Brooklyn and you know we're hot..." from "Body Rock" repeated over a Dr. Luke remix beat... anyway, the Source mag had a brief article about the "Hip Hop for Respect" collaboration record.  Joining Mos and Kweli will be Common, Pos, Pharohe Monch, and many others.  The joint will be released with two other tracks as a Black Star single from Rawkus.  Now, here's some dope news from EV Daviduk, peace partner:

"Sources at MCA are reporting that Black Star have just inked a deal with MCA Records. The duo of Mos Def and Talib Kweli will be the first project under Mos' Good Tree label. The Black Star album is schedule for an early 2000 release. Expect Mos Def and Reflection Eternal albums later in '99 from Rawkus." [Credit - Big D, http://reviewz.simplenet.com - in the "Newz Snippits"section of his page]

"Rappers Common, Fat Joe, the Terror Squad, and Mos Def are just a few of the musical performers turning out for two separate shows in New York City and Havana later this month as part of the Second Annual Black August Hip-Hop Benefit Concert. Those artists, along with Black Rob, Talib Kweli, Bahamadia, Gil Scott-Heron, and DJ Tony Touch will stage the first show in New York on August 8, and then travel to Cuba for the second show
on August 27. The latter concert will also showcase various Cuban rap artists, including Primera Base, Anonimo, and Nuevo Proyecto as part of that country's Fifth Annual National Cuban Rap Festival. The all-star event is aimed at raising money for the purchase of microphones, turntables, tape decks, samplers, and other unavailable music and text resources for the creation of a public hip-hop library and studio in Havana, Cuba. Partial proceeds will also be donated to an emergency fund for political prisoners here in the United States." [Credit http://www.mtv.com 's NEWS section]

• NEWS FROM APRIL 30, 1999 - JULY 9, 1999
• NEWS FROM JANUARY 21, 1999 - APRIL 14, 1999
• NEWS FROM MARCH 17, 1998 - NOVEMBER 1, 1998