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classic song, still salty that they took the album off streaming
why did they do that anyway?
some bs between rawkus records and downtown records (two of his former labels)
Fuck labels man. Only place you can listen to this album is youtube
or just download it.
I swear this generation of music listeners misses so much music by only letting themselves listen to streaming music.
Lmao what an assumption. I got this album when it was released, I buy music on bandcamp, beatport and juno. I DJ so digging for music is something that I have been doing for close to a decade now. I am saying it sucks that this album which in my opinion is his second best solo product isnt readily and easily available for streaming like the rest of his catalogue and is very much looked because of this fuck labels.
i agree with you, mine was more if a general statement. I have loads of friends who wont listen to stuff because its not on streaming
Or you could, like, buy it.
I got it when it was released. I lost alot of my music from then and was surprised this wasn't on streaming with his entire catalog. This is his second best album imo and the fact that the easiest way to listen to it at the moment is youtube sucks.
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A thing of the past these days
not really. Bandcamp is thriving. Vinyl sales are up. Even cassette sales are up.
You can support your favorite artists, you just have to try.
Its wild how i forget how much i like something when its not on streaming. Just revisited this and Life in Marvelous Times, still holds up
Reason number 4080 why streaming should be abandoned.
Streaming is trash
Really? good thing I have the CD.
So that’s what happened to it!
was about to add this to a playlist too...
Fuuuuuck, I had no idea. That album is one of my favorites, and Workers Comp is probably my favorite Mos Def track
This song always bangs. Thanks for reminding us of it.
i once read an article about how this was one of the best rap songs of all time and you know what, i’m not gonna argue that at all.
link?
https://hiphopgoldenage.com/perfect-rap-song-ever-written-auditorium/
Damn. That’s a bold assessment but I can’t say it’s wrong!
exactly my reaction lol
I came to the comments to say this is one of my all time favorites without a doubt. I get chills the whole song
Really just a perfect song. Both verses are brilliant and the beat is even better.
Mos Def criminally underrated all time
He was also the guy who got Kanye to go into exile after the Swift drama and kicked off MBDTF
Amazing sample. Madlib is the best to ever do it nobody can tell me otherwise
Madlib will tell you Dilla
Not on streaming. That makes is so good to listen to whenever it crosses your mind. Thanks for the reminder
Been one of my most listened to songs on YouTube it's in all my mixes.
That Slick Rick verse is one of my favourite verses ever. His storytelling ability is second to none.
Saw Slick Rick perform this live back at a free concert in 2017. I was surprised he did it, but he did it with passion and anger his voice, it was great.
As someone from North Africa, the sampling of Ali La Pointe Meets Petit Omar from The Battle of Algiers in this song just made me feel and love hip hop so much more.
Madlib was the best to do it!
Is*
And was
Man you gave me a heart attack for a moment thinking he was dead lol
That movie is absolutely life changing. Everyone should watch it.
All of The Ecstatic bangs
Still mad this isn't on spotify
You misspelt Madlib
Possibly unpopular opinion: I think this is his best album. I LOVE Black on Both Sides, but The Ecstatic was more cohesive in my opinion with huge highlights like this, Life in Marvelous Times, and my personal favorite Pistola.
Man, I love this album, but I feel like Mos lost something after Black on Both Sides. That’s a top 5 album for me though.
As a pure rapper and lyricist totally with you. Bar for bar Black on Both Sides Mos Def smokes Ecstatic Mos Def. I think he was making better songs on The Ecstatic though and the lyrics are definitely still there.
I completely agree. There's a few songs I'm meh on on Black on Both Sides. I think people who prefer that one do it out of nostalgia rather than objective evaluation.
The Ecstatic to me is more unique and worldly in its musicsl influences. The beat selection is so good. There's nothing like it.
New danger slaps pretty hard
Ecstatic is fine but that’s a hotttt take
One of my favorite beats of all time....I had the instrumental as my ring tone for years and still didn’t burn out on it
Beat is ridiculous
All time favorite
Mos performed this at Flog Gnaw two years ago and it was amazing
Are there any other rap songs that sample Indian music? I know a lot of songs off of Heems' Nehru Jackets do, but I haven't seen much outside of that.
Madlib has an entire Beat Konducta tape using Indian samples, and a few of those beats have become songs for other rappers:
Mos Def, "Wahid"
Freddie Gibbs, "Real"
Freddie Gibbs, "Deeper"
Not specifically Indian, but this one samples a Cambodian song and it slaps like a mf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTCp0kJYF30
Truth Hurts f. Rakim - Addictive samples "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" (also, the Truth Hurts song was written by Static Major RIP)
Panjabi MC feat. Jay-Z - Beware was a banger too
Jaylib "Survival Test"
All time classic
I love this album so much. Quiet Dog Bite Hard is a top tier workout track.
I’ve listened to that song working out countless times.
Obligatory ‘put this album back on streaming’ post :(
Goat song. 10/10. That instrumental is mesmerizing. Mos & Madlib produced this beauty together.
Still got the cd in my car. 🔥
Love this album and specifically this song, really opened my ears to madlib
This song has been my ringtone for the past like 7 years
Long live the ruler
tried posting this a while ago, but I couldn't cause it was already posted before. how were you able to? anyways probably my favorite song all-time. absolutely loved the ruler growing up
Last time it was posted with more than 50 upvotes was over a year ago, so I think it’s allowed to be posted again
don't post here often so I didnt know there was a time/karma limit. good looks
weird confession, im not gonna lie this has been one of my favorite tracks since a child and i literally just put together that the first line "Mad Liberator", which i quote all the time, is a reference to Madlib. goddamn im slow
This tune is top level
Somehow i don’t enjoy the rest of the album as i enjoy this legendary track
Brings back many memories. Thank you for sharing
almost forgot about this song since they removed it from spotify, dope track, one of my favourites for sure
My favorite mos def song
I absolutely love how Slick Rick comes into this track
Easily the best Mos Def song ever made
Saw him perform this live in Brooklyn at the start of 2020. It was great. He extended the end part out for a while.
I’m so sad they took this off spotify, My friend actually made a change .org petition but they don’t really know where to go with it, any suggestions?
here’s the petition
Unreal post. This song used to be my fucking jam in high school
TIL most of Mos Def's catalogue isn't on Apple Music?
This has been on repeat for me all week. So glad I was able to find this on wax while crate digging.
I never knew this was produced by madlib! Should’ve known by how dope the beat is
Have any of y'all heard the RECstatic? Every track on this album reworked w Mos & DJ Preservation. I love this album, and the RECstatic breathes new life into it for me. Some tracks just sound incredible with the new instrumentals.
listen & download here
This needs to be higher up. The History remix on the REcstatic is one of my all-time favorites.
That was a good song
Such a good song. Slick Rick's section has to be my all time favourite hip hop verse
Beautiful song. The beat is amazing, obviously, and Mos Def's verse is top-tier. The only flaw, to me, is the ending of Slick Rick's verse where all the Iraqis like his soldier alter ego now because he raps. It's a similar sort of energy to the Kylie Jenner Pepsi commercial: using a feel-good moment to paper over very real issues that, even in the story, haven't been addressed. But the rest of the verse is good, and it doesn't take away much from the song as a whole.
I agree with you, I really do love how detailed Rick's verse is and it's so close to mentioning the issues that go on with American imperiaism. If he went further on that theme it would haeve been so good.
Do niggas not listen to any other Mos Def songs? Why this always posted
I really want to have a version of this song with out Slick Rick's verse. It just feels wrong for this incredible instrumental. I know I know he's the ruler, he's an OG, I'm a hater, I don't know shit about hiphop bla bla bla.
what makes you dislike the verse?
It just feels out of place to me. Mos has such flow to his style, when Rick comes in it feels like the tempo is just off.
I like the verse by Rick, but I kinda agree with you too. Imagine if Raekwon or Ghost jumped on the track with him. I could also see Q Tip killing this as well.
Yes! All 3 of those guys would have kept the flow going!
all time sample
love song sm, didnt know madlib produced it, of course he did tho..
Is it ever coming back to spotify??
It’s quite simple: somebody posts a Mos Def track, and I give it an upvote.
Classic. They just don’t make them like this anymore. Plus Mos Def decided to get weird and fuck around and get in the no fly list and banned or some other stuff no?
Apparently, this isn’t on Apple Music either wtf.
How come this isn't on spotify?
Still have my copy on CD and on my iPod classic thankfully
A 100000% great fucking song. One of my faves. Thank you for sharing
One of the greatest songs ever, and I adore this Slick Rick verse.
His features on that Westside Gunn album were great too. Hope we see him more again now.