Bright as the Stars

Just the other night a friend sent me a link to Black Star's "Respiration" video for the first time in years, and it reminded me of just how good that album was. I mean, for me, that album is in my top 5 hip hop albums of all time, and has all the elements any hip hop head would love; raw dark beats, sick flows, and conscious rhymes. For me, Black Star is one of those seminal albums that you'll always remember when you first heard it, just like you remember what you were doing when you first heard KRS' Criminal Minded, or Run-DMC's self-titled debut (my first exposure to hip hop). Not only that, but Black Star really helped spark Rawkus as a label, which at the time had a deep roster of hungry, talented, and up-and-coming emcees. Remember Soundbombing I and II? Since when has a label put out such a dope compilation?

Like most of the groups I write about, you probably know all about Black Star already, but I did want to share a few of what I think are lesser-known Black Star joints that weren't on the album.

Oh, and of course I can't leave you all without including some of my hip hop favorite verses everrrrrr:

Give me the fortune, keep the fame, said my man Louis
I agreed, know what he mean because we live the truest lie
I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye
He looked at me, he thought about it
Was like, I'm clueless, why?
The question was rhetorical, the answer is horrible
Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow
And so tomorrow comin' later than usual
Waitin' on someone to pity us
While we findin' beauty in the hideous
They say money's the root of all evil but I cant tell
Youknowhatimean, pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mindstate thats ill?
Creating crime rates to fill the new prisons they build
Over money and religion theres more blood to spill
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields that never heal
What's the deal?

[MP3] Black Star :: Bright as the Stars
[MP3] Black Star :: Make it All Better (feat. Q-Tip)
[MP3] Black Star :: Respiration (Pete Rock remix feat. Black Thought)
[MP3] Black Star :: Another World

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