08. Definition – Black Star (1998)
Before Mos Def starred in movies with Bruce Willis, he and Talib Kweli formed Black Star, espousing intelligent lyrics that eschewed the gangsta-laden, money-hungry rap of the 1990s. While Mos Def has proved to be an excellent actor, his musical side is probably even more impressive. “Definition” is the defining song of Black Star’s collaboration and perhaps the centerpiece of the anti-violence movement in the rap world.
notable lyrics:
Yo, from the first to the last of it, delivery is passionate
The whole and not the half of it, vocab and not the math of it
Projectile that them blasted with, accurate assassin shit
Me and Kweli close like Bethlehem and Nazareth.
I said one two three
It’s kind of dangerous to be a emcee
They shot Tupac and Biggie
Too much violence in hip-hop