Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Black Star

1998

The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City, as the two artists know it.

The intro is used as their mission statement: to educate and inform the masses, giving the listeners an idea of what they’re about to learn from the guidance of the Black Star’s Mighty Mos Def and Talib Kweli.