How often or recently have you gone back to this album?

Do you think it got properly rating when it came out?

What are your feelings on the album now?

Similar to Electric Circus, I didn’t get it at first … Ghetto Rock, Sex Love Money etc.

Pitchfork did backtrack their initial review of Electric Circus… they should do the same with New Danger

At the time I was frustrated at waiting so long for a new album - I was so ready in 01-02. And I didn’t love the direction.

Now - 5 years flies by so that wouldn’t bother me as much, and I enjoy most of the songs - them not being what I hoped for/expected 20 years ago doesn’t matter.

At the time of it's release I wanted a bit more of a straight up rap album, but considering where the music has gone since then this feels pretty traditional in retrospect.

In short liked it then and I like it even more now.

I think the straight up rap songs on there are some of the best songs of his career.

The blues/rock stuff for the most part wasn't really to my liking. Not because I don't like rock... I do. I just wasn't feeling that particular aesthetic as I didn't feel like his voice meshed well with that sound.

I go back to it a few times a year, but only the songs that I like. Maybe I should revisit and listen to it in its entirety and see if the whole thing hits differently.

>I think the straight up rap songs on there are some of the
>best songs of his career.
>
>The blues/rock stuff for the most part wasn't really to my
>liking. Not because I don't like rock... I do. I just wasn't
>feeling that particular aesthetic as I didn't feel like his
>voice meshed well with that sound.
>
>I go back to it a few times a year, but only the songs that I
>like. Maybe I should revisit and listen to it in its entirety
>and see if the whole thing hits differently.

I recall not really feeling it and tried several time.

might revisit because of this post.

Similarly, I tried to like the non-hip-hop stuff a bunch of times around the time of its release and it never connected with me.

But the hip-hop stuff stuck, a good chunk of it. In fact I still listen to Sunshine, Grown Man Business, and Champion Requiem periodically to this day. And remember liking a couple others around release time. Hence my co-sign above.

But I probably haven't listened to the album in full since like 2005.

To copy/paste my reply in a post from 2019:

"It clearly isn't touching his Black on Both Sides and fails to live up to the expectations set by that and the Black Star album, but Mos took a lot of chances on this album, it's all over the place. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, but the best way I can describe the album is that it's a beautiful mess. It crosses over rap, rock, blues, R&B, soul and still remains somewhat cohesive even though it has no business being so. Oh, and "Modern Marvel" is an all time great Mos song."


I can understand initial disappointment with the album, but to give some context to my relationship with the album I became a fan of the OKP darling (The Roots, Talib, Mos, Common) in 2004 so I didn't have the attachment and reverence (or even heard) of albums like Black Star, Reflection Eternal, Black on Both Sides and Things Fall Apart by the time I heard The New Danger, The Tipping Point and The Beautiful Struggle. I don't remember exactly if I had heard BOBS when I bought The New Danger, but I know for sure I hadn't heard the Black Star album.

With all that, it's probably a good thing I didn't fully come to love BOBS like I do now (it's easily in my top 10 favorite rap albums of all time) because if I did I probably would have rejected this album from the get go for not being more like it.

In another reply I found I said it's a 3.5 mic album like I love like a 4.5 mic album. If I had to pick a non-BOBS Mos solo album to listen to I'm probably going to pick this one 4 out of 5 times, though I definitely consider The Ecstatic the better album.

I love the album overall because it’s somewhat of a mess but it’s also marketed as a mess.

It’s supposed to be all over the place.

There’s really nothing I don’t like on the album.

And as much as I love BOBS, I always felt like the second half was a bit of a mess when it could’ve been one of the straight up best pure hip-hop albums of all-time. Rock N Roll, Climb, May-December, Habitat… etc. I like ALL of those songs but they don’t really fit into what “I” wish that album was.

The New Danger I went in knowing it was going to be all over the place and I appreciate it for that.

The Ecstatic is an absolute overlooked gem of an album. A little surprised it doesn’t get the same recognition as some of these other underground albums in that same lane.

I didn't listen to it when it first came out and only listened to it many years later, like in 2017.

I feel like the first half of that album is 5-mics. Just banger after banger. Mos rapped his ass off, and Madlib gave him really dope production.

The latter half falls off quite a bit for me. Maybe I need to revisit it to gauge it through my ears now. I remember feeling satisfied, just thinking what could have been if maybe he had more time or had rejuvenated himself mid-project.

As for The New Danger, I remember liking it as "live" hip-hop production was really dope to me at that time. I was somewhat disappointed because I LOVED Black on Both Sides and was hoping Mos's follow-up would be 14 tracks of the same. The New Danger was more experimental and daring.

I think I listened to it a long time ago, and it lacked the appeal it did when it was released. But I'll check it out again at some point.

...only to come around on them down the road.

There are moments of brilliance on New Danger, and Modern Marvel is definitely one...and ahead of its time.

Could have maybe cut a couple tracks that didn't work as well, but off the top not sure what I'd cut. Like you said, its kind of a beautiful mess.


Personally, I think the real underrated gem for Yassin is the Ecstatic. I was pissed when it came out, but over time I've come to think its his best album and actually his masterpiece. I'd honestly have it up there as one of the best of the decade.


Still mad we never got the Ski Beats album though.

>Personally, I think the real underrated gem for Yassin is the
>Ecstatic. I was pissed when it came out, but over time I've
>come to think its his best album and actually his masterpiece.
> I'd honestly have it up there as one of the best of the
>decade.

It wasn't what I wanted at the time. I'm not sure what I expected/wanted honestly. Probably BOBS part 2 or some shit. Glad I grew out of that.

Hey man at least I can admit I was dead wrong *shrug*

... saw that album as a return to form. And if not that, at least the best he'd made since BOBS. So I was just digging deeper into exactly what you meant by being "pissed" when it was relased.

Personally I thought it was imperfect but the highs were about as high as I'd seen from him, BOBS or otherwise. So many great moments, couple misses.

And to your and other folks' point in here, it's only gotten better with time.


>Hey man at least I can admit I was dead wrong *shrug*

https://djpreservation.bandcamp.com/album/mos-def-the-recstatic

Can't remember how I listened to it (i.e. what I was doing at the time) but I remember calming down, going to the library the next day and listening again and loving it.

I always thought my first reaction was based on expectations and wanting Black on Both Sides, Part 2.

Edit: Haven't heard it in a while but I need to. Now, True Magic? You can keep that.

I'm written this before on here, but I've given "New Danger" many, many, many, MANY chances. Even before I knew of the existence of OKP. And I've given a few more chances after I started checking for these boards. But every time I try, it just doesn't work for me.

I like a few songs. And I'm not going to fault the album few its ambition. It's an ambitious, bloated mess, which is preferable to a boring mess (like True Magic or that December 99th project). So at least it doesn't work in interesting ways. But I can't say it's a good album.

there are a few gems but overall, nah.

anyone notice the only spotify version is heavily edited?