Watch Yasiin Bey x Robert Glasper Perform De La Soul's "Stakes Is High" Live In Paris + Exclusive Photos & Recap

Photos & video by Mr. Mass for Okayplayer.

Yup. The one and only Yasiin Bey was joined by the Robert Glasper Experiment for a Paris show last month (September 9th to be exact), an intersection of space, time and talent that is almost guarantee to produce a musical singularity of world-destroying intensity. In fact you may recall that last time Bey and Glasper shared a bill in Paris things got so cray that the Steve Jobs of cray himself, Mr. Kanye West, showed up to join in the festivities. Mr. West was not in the building this time around but then, as now, our guy with the eye Mr. Mass was on hand to immortalize the event in both photo and video form. Judging from word, sound and image this excursion might have achieved musical heights even more sublime than before, as Yasiin and his able collaborators stretched out in surprising and moody live renditions of his catalogue, as well as some appropos covers. Here's who Mass described it:

I was once again able to do it my way for the Yasiin/Glasper show that happened in Paris on the 9 of September during the Jazz á la Villette Festival. In a few words: the show was simply magic. Even though they've been performing together on and off for ten years (with me seeing them quite a few of those times) that night was something special; very improvised and spontaneous...just magic. The crowd felt that magic as well the legendary Tony Allen was playing on the same date just before but Yasiin and Glasper Experiment were the main act.

Afterward, we all ended up in the small bar next to the venue. DJ Preservation was supposed to play for the after party but it ended up with Yas and Tony jamming together for something like an hour or so, that kind of moment where as, I'm a grown man now I decided not to pull out my camera and just enjoy the moment.

Although Okayafrica may forever curse Mass for passing up the young Bey x Afrobeat legend jam session (oh, I think it's safe to say that "Umi Says" shined it's light on that bar, if not the whole world) he nevertheless left us plenty to celebrate with these crispy, you-can-almost-smell-the-cigarette-smoke-in-the-air images as well as video of Yasiin and the Experiment going in on De La Soul's classic "Stakes Is High." The J Dilla-produced single off of De La's self-titled 4th album is a natural point of connection for Bey and Glasper, since the piano-man is known for his Dilla-ludes and the artist formerly known as Mos Def was introduced to much of the world by his cameo on "Big Brother Beat" on that very same long-player. But we also get snippets of Slum Village's "Fall In Love" and even a lick or two of the immortal "Hot Music" break from Pal Joey. How much more can you really ask for from a recap? Watch the magic happen below, and if you concentrate on Mass' photos hard enough, a portal in time and space will open up...