At first I had trouble putting my finger on why Mos Def's Life in Marvelous Times - the most leading single off of his forthcoming "The Ecstatic" - reminded me so much of a mixtape track from Weezy or Clipse. But after a few spins I realized it's a combination of factors - the beat is epically large, the flow is solid, and it sounds like Mos Def has something that he feels is worth hearing. He's not rapping, he's preaching. Most importantly, however, the song doesn't rely on a hook to catch on, and no vocal breakbeat comes in until nearly two and a half minutes into the track. It's rap without the decorations.
You could turn the track off after two and a half minutes (and in fact, maybe should, given the somewhat sub-par singing on the back side of the cut) and still would feel great about it. The beat is sweet, and the flow is enjoyable. More than anything, I'm just glad to see Mos Def back making music. He was great in Be Kind Rewind and all those other flicks, but I think he provides a great voice for today's music, and can help wrest control of hip hop away from T-Pain and 50 Cent. Here's hoping.
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