The New Danger

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The New Danger
File:New danger.jpg
Studio album by Mos Def
Released October 12, 2004
Recorded 2003-2004
Genre Hip hop, blues rock
Length 74:51
Label Rawkus, Geffen
Producer Mos Def, Easy Mo Bee, Kanye West, 88-Keys, Minnesota, Warryn Campbell, Psycho Les
Mos Def chronology
Black on Both Sides
(1999)Black on Both Sides1999
The New Danger
(2004)
True Magic
(2006)True Magic2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 59/100[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 2.5/5 stars[2]
Robert Christgau A−[3]
Entertainment Weekly C+[4]
The Independent 5/5 stars[5]
Pitchfork Media (5.4/10)[6]
PopMatters 4/10 stars[7][8]
RapReviews (8.5/10)[9]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[10]
Stylus Magazine D−[11]
Yahoo! Music UK 6/10 stars[12]

The New Danger is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Mos Def, released October 12, 2004 on Rawkus and Geffen Records in the United States. The album was also released in Canada and continental Europe through Geffen, and it featured distribution in the United Kingdom on Island Records.[13] It is the follow-up to his breakthrough solo effort Black on Both Sides (1999), after which he further involved himself in a film and stage career.[14]

Production

Production for the album was handled by Mos Def, Kanye West, 88 Keys, Minnesota, Warryn Campbell, and Psycho Les. Primarily a hip hop album, it also exhibits musical styles such jazz, blues, and rock music with an experimental, jam session-atmosphere.[15] It also features contributions from Mos Def's rock musical project Black Jack Johnson, which was named after boxing champion Jack Johnson and consists of guitarist Dr. Know, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Will Calhoun.[14]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number #5 on the Billboard 200 and at number #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 90,664 copies sold in the first week. To date, the album has sold more than 222,449 copies.[16] [17]

Critical reception

Upon release, The New Danger received generally mixed or average reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 59/100 from Metacritic.[8] Critics of the album were divided in their responses by its uneveness and sprawl.[14][18] Uncut gave the album a score of three out of five stars and called it "An experimental and melancholic set."[19] Paste gave it a score of five out of ten and said, "Unfortunately, irrational moments like 'The Rape Over' make you question the entire 17-track outing."[8][20] Tiny Mix Tapes gave it two out of five stars and said that it "fails to feature as strong a centerpiece."[21] The Austin Chronicle gave it two stars out of five and said it was "as overextended as it is self-indulgent."[22] Steve Jones of USA Today, however, gave the album a score of three-and-a-half stars out of four and said of Mos Def, "His lyrical insights on life, love and politics are equally stimulating. But just being different doesn't always translate into brilliance, as there are long stretches where the charismatic Mos Def fades to the background. Still, his risk-taking venture generally pays off, assuring that he's in no danger of being put into a box."[23]

Track listing

No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "The Boogie Man Song"   Mos Def, Raphael Saadiq 2:22
2. "Freaky Black Greetings"   Mos Def 2:20
3. "Ghetto Rock"   Minnesota 3:53
4. "Zimzallabim"   Easy Mo Bee, Mos Def 3:41
5. "The Rape Over"   Kanye West 1:34
6. "Blue Black Jack" (feat. Shuggie Otis) Minnesota 5:47
7. "Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March"   Mos Def 4:32
8. "Sex, Love & Money"   Warryn Campbell 4:09
9. "Sunshine"   Kanye West 4:25
10. "Close Edge"   Minnesota 3:10
11. "The Panties"   Minnesota 4:11
12. "War"   Mos Def, Psycho Les 3:07
13. "Grown Man Business (Fresh Vintage Bottles)" (feat. Minnesota) Minnesota 3:24
14. "Modern Marvel"   Minnesota 9:19
15. "Life Is Real"   Molecules 3:11
16. "The Easy Spell"   Mos Def 5:32
17. "The Beggar" (feat. Paul Oscher) Mos Def 5:19
18. "Champion Requiem"   88-Keys 4:52

Notes: The UK Edition bonus track is also featured on his 2007 compilation album, Mos Definite.

Charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
French Albums Chart[24] 103
Swiss Albums Chart[25] 50
UK Albums Chart[26] 56
US Billboard 200[27] 5
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[28] 2
US Billboard Top Rap Albums[29] 1
Singles
Year Title
2004 "Sex, Love & Money"
"Close Edge"

Personnel

References

  1. Music: New Danger by Mos Def, 2004. MetaCritic. Retrieved on December 15, 2004
  2. Kellman, Andy. "The New Danger - Mos Def". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Mos Def". The Village Voice: November 2, 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-09-25.
  4. Fiore, Raymond. "Rap's Mos Valuable Player". Entertainment Weekly: October 22, 2004.
  5. Quinn, Anthony (2004-10-29). "Album: Mos Def (The New Danger)". The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  6. Warren, Jamin (2004-10-18). "Mos Def: The New Danger". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  7. Heaton, Dave (2004-10-28). "Mos Def: The New Danger". PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Critic Reviews for The New Danger". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
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  13. "The New Danger (Album)". Discogs. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Cromelin, Richard (2004-11-28). Try Telling Him He Can't Do It All. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  15. Simon, Andrew. "Mos Def: The New Danger". Vibe: 215. December 2004.
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  17. Album Sales.hitsdailydouble.com. Retrieved October 2004
  18. Lurie, Matthew. "Onstage, Mos Def Is Just as Perplexing as His New Album". Chicago Tribune: 2. December 7, 2004.
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  23. Jones, Steve (2004-10-18). "Mos Def, The New Danger". USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
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External links