Mos Def, Brooklyn’s hip hop Renaissance man, is much cherished for his early backpacker classics including the Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star and Black On Both Sides releases with the indie powerhouse Rawkus Records. But since those days in the late ’90s, Mos Def has released a couple of miscues including 2004’s experimental New Danger and 2006’s misfire True Magic, which was shelved immediately after its release. Flash to 2009 and Mos Def is back with the most mature record from a hip hop artist in quite a while. It may not be the classic we had hoped for, but in the midst of southern sing-along and fashionista rappers, Mos Def stays in his own lane, ignoring stringent, insular indie rules and not giving a fuck about commercial radio.

The Ecstatic, Mos Def’s fourth solo record, is his smart, gimmick-free debut for upstart hipster label Downtown Records (Santigold, Justice, Cold War Kids). And with the release, Pretty Flaco covers a bit of expected territory: he may be in movies, but he’s still a universal ghetto advocate with unwavering respect and admiration for the streets of Brooklyn and the tradition of hip-hop itself. There’s still Malcolm X speeches, Arabic prayers, and some Spanish flows, but injecting some new flavor in the record is production from indie luminaries J Dilla, Madlib, Oh No and the Neptune’s Chad Hugo as well as guest spots from the legendary, longtime collaborator Talib Kweil, West Coast neo-soul experimentalist Georgia Muldrow, and samples of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.

Opening with verbal gymnastics of “Supermagic” over a winding guitars, Mos announces “I refute these snitches,” and in the Hugo-produced head knocker “Twilite Speedball” he continues to survey the urban landscape alongside muted, marching horns, “Bad news and good dope, powder, potion, pills, dope… survival mathematics.” And “Auditorium,” featuring Slick Rick, finds the Ruler sounding as fresh as ever. Mos Def continues to drop jewels, schooling the young cats with a sense of urgency on “Wahid,” “Gun smoke, young folks living any kind of way.” On the interlude “Priority” he declares a mini-manifesto of “Peace before everything, God before anything, love before anything, home before any place, style and stay radiate, quiet with major waves, full flavor in a native strain, full exposure to slang”.

Ever the universal ghetto representative, The Ecstatic is both internationally ambitious and ambiguous as Mos shows his Spanish skills on “No Hay Nada Mas,” delivers Brazilian funk on “Casa Bey,” and rides “Pistola” over sampled Eastern xylophones. But on the soulful “History” he changes styles and reconnects with Talib Kweli for a Dilla produced b-boy throwback.

There are moments that are off the mark such as the boggie jump “Quiet Dog,” as well as “Roses” which features the incoherent warbling of Georgia Anne Muldrow. Adding to the uneven feel, Mos himself sings a bit more than expected on the record. That said, The Ecstatic ultimately rides through at an even pace, never actually bringing the hardcore boom bap—but it bangs, and bangs hard throughout.

The Ecstatic shows an artist’s growth artistically without reaching for the obvious. Mos Def’s charismatic voice and playfulness, even when dealing with serious subject matter, shows a maturity and willingness to take risk. And even if not that drastic, those risks are more than welcome in the era of ring-tone rap. Mos Def is first and foremost an original b-boy with tons of artistic integrity and respect for the culture in which he serves as an ambassador. And for that we’re all the better.

[review by guest contributor Jon Jon Scott]

Mos Def “Casa Bey” (mp3)

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Also: Mos Def on the Late Show with David Letterman