Among the surprises at this past weekend's Art Basel festivities in Miami, was the return of Yasiin Bey [formerly known as Mos Def], who performed his first show on U.S. soil in 5 years, as a part of "Boiler Room X Saul Williams Presents: In Appreciation of Lyricism."
Bey, whose recently announced Dec. 99th album is set to drop this Friday [December 9], made a humble appearance midway through a lineup of artists who jammed before an intimate audience gathered around Aja Monet's Smoke Signals Studio in Little Haiti. The legendary emcee vibed through a handful of songs that will constitute his new material, concluding the set with a Wu-Tang Clan C.R.E.A.M sampled cut titled "No Time To Pretend".
Prior to hitting the stage, Bey delighted fans with news to supplement their anticipation of his Ferrari Sheppard-assisted comeback album. "I will be premiering my new album[s] at the Apollo Theater December 20 and 21," he said. Bey wasn't referring to Friday's Dec. 99th drop. The retiring emcee announced that he will be serving up two additional albums before making his exit from the music business. His long-delayed collaboration with Mannie Fresh will be released under the title As Promised, and a project titled Negus in Natural Person has also been declared complete. Neither has an official release date, but word is that Bey will look to put them out before the end of the month.
Source: youtube.com
