- reviewed by Se7en @ 7soul.com

Mos Def is hip-hop's quintessential renaissance man. As a respected actor in Hollywood and the charismatic host of HBO's Def Poetry, Mos Def has proven to be one of the most talented members of the hip-hop generation. Mos Def recently released his sophomore solo effort entitled "The New Danger" and it is definitely just that...dangerous. With every track Mighty Mos pushes the boundaries of hip-hop by infusing jazz, blues and rock and roll with his natural underground flavor, every chance he gets.

Mos Def begins his dangerous odyssey into the unknown with a track entitled "The Boogie Man Song." Crooning us into relaxation, Mos Def immediately hits us with his ability to step outside of his box as a Brooklyn MC and tempts us sweetly with an almost disturbingly romantic ballad. As we begin to float into a euphoric feeling of musical relaxation, we are hit with "Freaky Black." A hypnotic rock track with a George Clinton more..

- reviewed by Se7en @ 7soul.com

Mos Def is hip-hop's quintessential renaissance man. As a respected actor in Hollywood and the charismatic host of HBO's Def Poetry, Mos Def has proven to be one of the most talented members of the Hip-Hop generation. Mos Def recently released his sophomore solo effort entitled "The New Danger" and it is definitely just that...dangerous. With every track Mighty Mos pushes the boundaries of hip-hop by infusing jazz, blues and rock and roll with his natural underground flavor, every chance he gets.

Mos Def begins his dangerous odyssey into the unknown with a track entitled "The Boogie Man Song." Crooning us into relaxation, Mos Def immediately hits us with his ability to step outside of his box as a Brooklyn MC and tempts us sweetly with an almost disturbingly romantic ballad. As we begin to float into a euphoric feeling of musical relaxation, we are hit with "Freaky Black." A hypnotic rock track with a George Clinton feel. Mos uses the first four tracks as a manifesto, stating emphatically that he will not be pigeonholed into one specific style or genre of music. Then comes the controversy.

In a track aptly entitled, "The Rape Over," Mos Def hits us hard with a freestyle over Jay-Z's the takeover beat. Mos attacks the entire music industry hierarchy. In a thinly veiled shot at Lyor Cohen, Mos Def spits, "A tall Israeli is runnin' this rap shit." Mos gives us a glimpse into the life of a rap star as he tells us about the way artists often sell out to get a recording deal, "we poke out our asses for a chance to cash in."

Mos then does his best John Lee Hooker impersonation on "Black Jack," a song dedicated to Jack Johnson, the first black boxing heavyweight champion of the world. He continues to sing the blues on "Bedstuy Parade" before hitting us with the upbeat "Sex, Love, and Money," telling us the twice told tale of a young woman who lived fast and broke hearts even faster.

Mos Def finds his niche on this album on the Kanye West produced "Sunshine." With his signature Brooklyn flow and his vivid imagery, Mos Def pulls us into his world. We delve deeper and deeper into the psyche of the complicated MC through the subsequent tracks Close Edge (Which features a flawless sample of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's classic "The Message") and Panties. While Panties has a Marvin Gaye-esque feel to it, it is positioned on the album to provide a startling contrast with the next song. Mos Def belts out a ghetto love ballad on "Panties", pleading with the object of his desire, with suggestive desires to "let me show you."

Just as we get comfortable with Mos Def's smooth vocals, he hits us with a track entitled "War." Mos spits about politics, love, and life. Mos propels us through the rest of the album with gritty, project tales on "Grown Man Business", "Modern Marvel", and "My Whole Life is Real." Just when we think we can't get any further into the soul of Hip-Hop's poet laureate, he takes us to another level of consciousness with the next 2 tracks, the rock/rap mix "The Easy Spell" and the introspective "The Beggar."

Mos Def then pays homage to all of hip-hop's fallen soldiers with his "Champions Requiem" a very fitting ending to an eclectic and eye-opening piece of art.

With The New Danger Mos Def easily steers clear of hip-hop's "sophomore jinx" by creating an album that is so eclectic, experimental, and broad in range that one cannot help but take notice of the immense talent possessed by the Brooklyn MC. With his first album, Mos Def laid the groundwork for being considered on of the greatest MC's of our time, now that he's proven his consistency, the Brooklyn MC is unquestionably among the ranks of the all-time greats such as Rakim and KRS-One. The New Danger could easily lead one to place him in the ranks of another Brooklyn MC....