Ninja-Parents Blog

Quick Verdict Black on Both Sides arrived on October 12, 1999, and is Mos Def’s finest album — a 19-track, 65-minute solo debut that is the most lyrically versatile and sonically ambitious record in the Native Tongues tradition. Produced by a combination of DJ Premier, Kanye West, Q-Tip, Hi-Tek, and Mos Def himself, the album moves between boom-bap, neo-soul, jazz-rap, and rock-influenced hip-hop while maintaining a consistent lyrical and philosophical vision. “Mathematics”