Magnetic: Mos Def News

Mos Def briefly took the stage at the Chris Aire Fashion Show at Olympus Fashion Week in New York last month, and he used his time to freestyle a few rhymes that called to mind his Katrina Klap single.

Download/Watch Mos Def freestyle Katrina-style. (via)

Mos Def wasn’t the only hip-hop star at the show. Wyclef, Nelly, DJ Clue, Foxy Brown, and Fabolous were also on hand.

Check out pictures of the star-studded event at WireImage.

This post is tagged: downloads, hip hop, katrina, live music, mos def, music, rap, videos.

From Press The Issue comes the Katrina Klap video! The video features footage of post-Katrina New Orleans as well as Mos Def live in the studio, and adds powerful visual imagery to his already scathing lyrics.

I’m trying to get my hands on a downloadable copy to keep in the archives. If you have any background on the video or know where a non-streaming version can be found, post in the comments.

This post is tagged: downloads, hip hop, katrina, mos def, music, politics, rap, videos.

The fact that Mos Def did a commercial for GMC to promote their Denali line of SUV is old news, but I just recently sought out and viewed the actual spot. For those like me who heard the news, but never saw the ad:

Download Mos Def’s GMC Denali Ad

I’m interested in your thoughts on this. The fact that Mos Def did the ad, the ad itself (the rhymes, the beat), etc. Post your thoughts in the comments to this post.

This post is tagged: downloads, hip hop, mos def, music, rap, tv, videos.

Now that the rights to Dave Chappelle’s Block Party have been acquired by Rogue Pictures, the DVD of the the sickest block party to hit Brooklyn (that is, one featuring the likes of Mos Def, The Roots, Common, Jill Scott, Kanye West, and many others), can’t be too far behind. Something (reportedly) this good—not only did the actual event get off-the-hook reviews, but the movie "played to a huge response" at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, according to the press release—is not something Rogue Pictures will want to sit on for long.

The September 18, 2004 invite-only party, where guests were bused to a secret Clinton Hill location, was filled with stellar performances and historic moments in hip-hop (can you say the reunion of The Fugees?).

I wasn’t there, but many were. Here are some links to what they saw and heard:

• Info and pictures from Down On Love
• Event review from the NY Times
• Movie review from TIFF screening
  

Unfortunately, there is no word yet on the official release date.

This post is tagged: comedy, hip hop, music, rap, videos.

I’ve tracked down some home videos of Mos Def layin’ it down at some recent Deal Real London events. Check ‘em out:

Clip of Mos Def performing "Two Words" – 31 secs, 396kb, QuickTime

Clip of Mos Def performing Miss Fat Booty -> Hip Hop – 1min 26secs, 1.1mb, QuickTime

Clip of Mos Def and Kanye West Freestyle – 2min 23secs, 24.2mb, Real

This post is tagged: downloads, hip hop, live music, mos def, music, rap, videos.