Mos Def and Blackstar @ House of Blues Boston, 9/8/09

If Talib Kweli’s set at the House of Blues on Wednesday night was a collection of hip hop ballin’ beats that reinvigorated Zack’s love of rap, Mos Def’s was a beast of a different nature – a sprawlingly diverse set that revealed Mos Def as an artist, a rapper, a musician, and an entertainer rolled into one.

The set opened with a powerful boom, featuring Mos Def playing a timpani-style drum set with big bass drums and clean cymbals. He anchored the backing beat provided by his two stage DJs, and tore it up while simultaneously rapping through “Supermagic”. Following that, he grabbed what Kweli called Def’s “old school Chuck Berry microphone” and sang/rapped with few pauses, spinning a tight run of songs highlighted by “Life in Marvelous Times” and “Quiet Dog”.

Where Kweli was a pleasant blast from the past, Mos Def’s opening centered almost exclusively on material from his latest LP, The Ecstatic. It’s great material - and fresh in the minds of fans - so it was a blast to see transformed live on stage. Mos differentiated himself from most hip hop artists characterized by flows and little else. Mos Def is a musician at heart, and he spent the night singing, drumming, rapping, humming, and shining a light on great songs outside of his traditional catalogue. As the set continued on we caught glimpses of Mos the music fan, getting down to off-the-beaten track reggae tunes and singing along with Ray Charles without a care in the world.

The highlight of the night, without question, was the epic collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli. They’ve been a bit of a legendary pair ever since releasing Blackstar, the pinnacle work in each of their catalogues, and the sight of them sharing the stage (and being PSYCHED about it) was one for sore eyes.

As Zack mentioned in his review on Thursday, the unspoken understanding of concert-goers was that this lineup basically ensured that a Blackstar collaboration would rear its head on stage for the first time in years. And boy did it hit hard. They joined forces about 40 minutes into Mos Def’s set, and tore through most of their repertoire, beginning with “Definition” and concluding - fittingly – with “Re: Definition.” The set was high energy, the crowd was hyperactive, and the musical moment was one to be remembered.

The one slightly odd note of the evening came following the Blackstar set, as Mos Def stayed on stage and continued to play for quite some time. The fans - who had already seen Jay Elec, Kweli, Mos Def’s Ecstatic material, and the epic Blackstar combo – were understandably tired, and began to stream out in significant numbers. As the venue thinned out, it was tough to stay as involved the remainder of Mos Def’s set, which again strayed more toward the musical and less toward the hip hop side of things. It was enjoyable, but seemed a bit like an unecessary epilogue when the plot had already been revealed.

All in all, though, it was a dope show and a tight line-up. Def and Kweli both put on electric solo sets, and the Blackstar interlude proved once and for all that the whole can indeed be more than just the sum of its parts.

Mos Def - Supermagic (YSI) (filesavr)

Mos Def and Talib Kweli - Definition (YSI) (filesavr)

Mos Def and Talib Kweli - Brown Skin Lady (YSI) (filesavr)