Mos Def. Huge Battle in New Orleans

ha ha ha ha.

I hate to say it, but Mos Def was actually pretty awesome on Letterman last night. I am generally not a fan of the guy. Maybe its because of a few talk shows I have seen him on...he came across horribly. Also the most his albums seem lazy and without much real content. I enjoyed the Black Star thing he did with Talib, but not as much as its enthusiasts. But pretty much anybody that can do the drums and rhyme like this has got to get a bit of respect. Also, listen for some of the weird glitches in the arrangement that he works through. Its pretty dope.

The album he was promoting came out today. I will have to give it a listen here soon.

In other Mos Def news, the guy has been talking for the past year or so about organizing a huge battle in New Orleans with all of rap musics "greats". The idea is to have it be a huge charity event, combining dj battles, b-boys, and of course the ultimate MC throwdown.

He wants to do teams of five rappers each and has mentioned his team will consist of him, Black Thought, MF Doom, Nas, and Jay Electronica.

He also wants a team from Jay Z and one from Kanye, which I am sure would include the likes of Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy, Eminem?

I would put my money on Mos Def's team if only because it contains Doom. Black Thought has thrown some great lines out in the past as well. This would be something I would love to see in general. The way the system is today, the supposed "best" rappers never have to face each other down like the small local guys do. I am a horrible battle rapper, but always have enjoyed watching it because of the pressure that is forced to produce something awesome. Early hip-hop had alot of that tension to be the quickest at coming through with the punchlines. I am sure that these guys are not the greatest free-style artists in the world, probably not even close. I bet they write half the stuff they will say in the battle. But it will still be awesome to watch them go at each others throats, pre-written or not. I am officially pumped for this. Its supposed to go down in December.

If I were to put together a team of 5 people based on who I think would be deadliest, it would include Sage Francis, MF Doom, Eyedea, Mac Lethal, and Ghostface Killah. I think they are more battle tested, although not as universally known. They would bring home the cup I think.

ah speculations...