I think the presentation in the article makes it seem pretentious and is maybe even misleading: by calling it an "album" (whether that's mos/yasiin's choice or not is unclear), it heightens the expectations of a traditional release, and the article sort of exoticizes the idea of a music-centered art installation (by a - wait for it - semi-retired emcee!!!!).

But there's no requirement that a piece of recorded music has to be distributed for popular consumption: it can be a score to a movie that isn't released for purchase/download, it can be incidental music to a different type of performance art (a play), or it can be (as it is here) incorporated into a different experience altogether. This happens all the time with musicians in other genres but has (I think) been less common in hip hop (though I think that's been changing). The process that Parla and YB went through actually sounds pretty organic, not contrived or forced like some of these things can be. And the visuals in that article look cool as shit.

Besides, YB's involvement in other aspects of art culture generally feel much more natural and authentic than folks like Jay-Z or Ye, who (from a distance at least) seem to use art references as a more of a badge of status or cultural positioning than something meaningfully related to their own work. (I love love loved how back in 2011 he got down with the Brooklyn Philharmonic performing "Coming Together" by Frederic Rzewski (and even more loved the fact that the performance was really good). Again, it wasn't forced or contrived; he seemed genuinely engaged in the piece.)

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~