Mos Def's 2009 release (and Downtown Records debut), THE ECSTATIC, spent a significant time simmering. After releasing the critically acclaimed BLACK ON BOTH SIDES in 1999, featuring its near-perfect balance of hooks and innovative genre-bending, Mos journeyed deep into the unknown on the experimental THE NEW DANGER. 2006's TRUE MAGIC, while containing some solid tracks, was more of an afterthought to fulfill a label contract. However, the Mos Def on THE ECSTATIC feels like Mos Def Engaged, as the hip-hop wordsmith from Brooklyn lays down some sharp invectives over backdrops both inventive and downright groovy, beats set down by Madlib, Oh No, and many other greats of the game. Most of all, Mos is just having fun frolicking in the fertile fields of his love for hip-hop, tossing offhand references to Run-DMC, Outkast, Ultramagnetic MC's, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and others, and it ends on the single "Casa Bey," a relaxed and defiant jazzy party of an artist who knows he's come into his own.

• Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 10/06/2017