It’s Thursday, (January 9, 2003) night around 8:30PM and Mos Def and Talib Kweli, dressed casually hip, are about to begin their second show in a series of three benefit concerts (the first was Wednesday night). Their goal: To raise money for the Nkiru Center for Education and Culture, or what used to be Nkiru Books, the oldest independent Black bookstore in Brooklyn and ex-employer of a young Talib. The Black Star duo bought the store about four years ago and transformed it into a multi-cultural resource center featuring workshops, seminars, etc.
Hip-hop’s Batman & Robin were totally at ease as they breezed through fan favorites from Mos’ Black On Both Sides, Talib’s Reflectional Eternal and Quality and their Black Star album. The crowd, including Kweli’s dad and Keith Murray, crooned along to “Brown Skin Lady,” “The Blast,” “Umi Says,” “Ms. Fat Booty,” “Gun Music” and more. In an especially goofy mood, Mos stayed busy bugging out and only got serious when he flipped a brand-new freestyle about “beef.” Beef isn’t what Nas and Jay got, or 50 and Ja, he explained, but Bush’s hostile foreign policy, crack and our nation waging war against its own people.
Talib and Mos once again proved they are two of today’s most rhythmic and insightful lyricists. They not only fit each other’s flows perfectly, but they are each other’s biggest supporters. Several hours later, Pharoahe Monch and David Chappelle, two more Black Star fans, joined the fun for the third, and last show. For more information about the Nkiru Center, log onto Nkirucenter.org.
