Black Star Soundset 2019
Black Star Soundset 2019
Photo Credit: Shaughn Cooper for Okayplayer

Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey "In the Final Stages" of Madlib-Produced Black Star Album

Kweli broke the news in an interview with Jimmy Fallon.

On Wednesday, Talib Kweli joined Jimmy Fallon for a brief interview. The two discussed activism, racism, and the nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more.

Towards the end of the interview, Fallon asked if Kweli had any new material coming out. First, he mentioned his upcoming album with Diamond D. Subsequently, he dropped a bombshell.

"In the spirit of what we're talking about," he began, "a lot of people have been hitting me up and saying 'we need that Blackstar album. Me and Mos Def are in the final stages of the Blackstar album. It's produced completely by Madlib."

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star dropped in September 1998. The project peaked at number 13 on Billboard's United States R&B charts. Despite the moderate commercial success, the album is one of underground hip-hop's classic releases.

The two haven't collaborated on new material since 2011's "You Already Know," the duo's tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. Previously, the two joined Hi-Tek, J. Cole, and Jay Electronica for "Just Begun," off Reflection Eternal's Revolutions Per Minute.

"The new Blackstar album is dealing with a lot of this subject matter," Kweli explained. "And I'm working hard--trust me when I tell you--I'm working hard to get it out to the people."

Back in November, on Ebro Darden's Beats 1 radio show, Kweli shared that the project was done.

"This project with Madlib is done," he said. "We just trying to figure out when and how to release it."

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