Mos Def - Black On Both Sides

It seems inexplicable that I would have so little knowledge of this album until now. As I get deeper into my examination of the musical zeitgeist of the years in which I grew up, I start thinking I’ve heard of or at least tangentially absorbed most of the great albums of the time. But then something like this comes around, an album universally loved by critics, a massive commercial success, and I realize how deep the catalog of great 90’s artists actually is.

I don’t think I’m going to come up with any new genius words to capture the greatness on display here. But this album checks all my boxes for great hip-hop; smooth delivery, great beats with a perfect amount of laid-back-ness, intelligent social commentary with an undercurrent of positivity, lyrics with just the right level of density that almost require studying to fully appreciate but not quite. The songs cover everything from women to the environmental crisis to the fact that the Rolling Stones didn’t invent the blues (“Bo Diddley is rock ‘n roll” indeed). That, plus the live instrumentation in an age when even the guitar-obsessed alt rock bands were going electronic, make this an all-timer.

From the roundup (Some of) The Greatest Albums of 1999.