In honor of Black Star’s ten-year anniversary, Proud Flesh is calling for works that speak to the impact and legacy of their masterpiece album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are…, for an upcoming journal (www.proudfleshjournal.com).
Released in the fall of 1998, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star re-energized the b-boy and backpacker face of Hip Hop with a heightened analytic and deep consciousness of self and community. Taking their name from Marcus Garvey and the UNIA’s 1920s shipping company (established to move Black Americans to a Black state located in Liberia), Black Star, conceptually and sonically, presented a wide and colorful depiction of Black life and Black identity.
In contrast to much of the mainstream Hip Hop of that period, they stressed that life should be more about “the struggle” than “the hustle, ”and critiqued viewpoints that conceived of Black culture in only singular terms. On “Definition,” Mos Def raps: “Manhattan keep on makin it, Brooklyn keep on takin it, so relax we’re takin it back, Redhook where we’re livin at. Plenty cats be struggling not hustlin and bubblin, if it ain’t about production and — what else we discussin?” Black Star chronicled Black folks’ ability and tenacity to produce via work, language, the arts, communal culture, and cultural production.
A decade has passed since the release of this monumental album. More than a hot album, this thirteen-track masterpiece continues to offer a theoretical and practical analysis of urban Black culture and politics, and a grass-roots base of knowledge that is not adequately engaged. By stating in their album’s introduction that their music was not meant to “stand still,” the group signaled that their conception of time and space did not adhere to the linearity of common epistemological standards.
Acknowledging their point that the music cannot and should not stand still, Proud Flesh is calling on writers, academics, artists, community activists/organizers, and fans to submit essays, poems, prose, photography, graphic artwork, etc., detailing how this album has impacted your work and your life. Included in this are critical analyses of the album and/or individual songs, works that place the album and/or songs within a broader context and legacy (historical, political, social, artistic), and works that speak to the album’s continued relevance.
We are asking that all works be submitted by May 1, 2008 to:
blackstarproject@gmail.com
Visit Proud Flesh at http://www.proudfleshjournal.com/ for more information.
1 response so far ↓
nitevision // February 28, 2008 at 12:42 am |
useta have a complex about getting too complex…
thanks for the reminder. it’s on my mind now…