Bring back Black Star, please.

Sitting down with Rolling Stone, Talib Kweli gave a new (hopefully solid) date for the release of his sixth studio album Prisoner Of Conscious… April 23rd.

Four years in the making, Prisoner of Conscious represents a more nuanced selection of songs, which feature guests including Kendrick Lamar, Nelly and Busta Rhymes. It retains the live instrumentation Kweli incorporated on The Beautiful Struggle and Eardrum; a sample of Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid in Full” for the Trend-produced song “Turnt Up” prevented a scheduled November release. The delay allowed Kweli time to “rethink” the album, and he tacked on two more songs in December.

“I tried to focus more on the musicality of the album and make decisions based more on how the music feels, rather than make decisions based on what I wanted to say,” Kweli said. “This is the most time I’ve ever spent on a record.”

Kweli also goes on to discuss a possible Black Star reunion with Mos Def Yasiin Bey, finishing up with “I would love to get back into it whenever he’s ready.”

This week, Mister Cee dedicates his Throwback At Noon segment on Hot97 to Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Check the hour long mix of Black Star tracks and solo cuts below.

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A little bit ago the legendary hip hop showcase celebrated almost being legal enough to drink, and threw an event in Downtown Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre with special guest Mos D…er… Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. Props to LAUNFD for the footage.

Live and direct from Le Bataclan in France. Shouts to the homie Spintelect who is currently spinning for Talib Kweli on tour.

During a sit down with Hypebeast, Yasiin Bey gives an honest update on the status of his next album with Talib Kweli.

We are in the studio all the time and we will continue putting out songs on a regular basis. I appreciate the anticipation. Making an album is very time-consuming and requires lots of energy. Even recording one single song demands inner vision and takes up two or three sessions for one cut. Then comes the mixing and sound engineering process on top of that. Just keep in mind that both of us, we have a perfectionist streak. So yea, we are on the road and in the studio and we hope to get it out as soon as possible. It is also great to witness all the people with us in the studio being enthusiastic about it. I think it is one of the great things about Black Star because we never did Black Star because we wanted to as opposed as we needed to. Me and Kweli have one of the best working relationships I ever had with another artist. Kweli has such a tremendous amount of energy and we are getting better with what we do.

During the interview, Mos also speaks on his Top 40 series (which I’m hoping produces some great material).

PREVIOUS: Mos Def – N*ggas In Poorest

While I was in the Complex offices last week a guy walked right past me, and in my head I asked myself “Is that ego Trip’s Brent Rollins?” Turns out that it was, as he’s the Art Director of the magazine. Revisiting his ego Trip roots, Brent revealed that we was the mind behind the cover to Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s seminal debut LP…

What was the original inspiration for your design?
Brent Rollins: There were some loose things. Bob Marley was an inspiration, but not specifically the Burnin’ LP. Something else which escapes me now. I think Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions was maybe a reference, but it was kind of loose. Definitely a raw ’70s reggae feel. That is for sure.

What was the texture effect on the OG?
Brent Rollins: Metallic. Like [Gang Starr's] Full Clip. Originally it was supposed to look like an old metal stamped sign. Like those large, embossed metal Pepsi-Cola signs. The vintage ones. Like it was screen-printed on metal. And then touched up and decorated by hand. You know in third-world countries it used to be cheaper to hand-paint something, so that kind of feel was really my actual inspiration.

Also, if you head to the site you can see the original cover as well. Dopeness.

READ: UNCOVERED: The Making Of Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Vital Films is behind the latest visual experience from Kweli and Mos Def. Check some behind-the-scenes footage of their performance at Belly Up Aspen last month and Kweli talking about what we can expect this year.

“Little Brother”

Backed by the best backing band in late night television today, Yasiin Bey Mos Def and Talib Kweli hit Jimmy Fallon’s stage to perform a few cuts, including one from their mixtape Aretha Franklin… where the hell is that? SHAKE UPDATE: After the jump I’ve also included ?uestlove’s story about how Dilla crafted the Little Brother beat.

Second verse, same as the first. Talib Kweli and Mos Def (yeah, I’m not gonna call him Yasiin Bey anymore) drops the second freebie off their upcoming mixtape, now titled Aretha Franklin.

DOWNLOAD: Black Star – You Already Knew (prod. Oh No) | Mediafire
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Mos Def Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli are Black Star, and to kick off Black Friday they drop the first single from their upcoming album, set to drop… let’s say… before Detox. Give or take a few millennia.

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PURCHASE: Black Star – Fix Up (prod. Madlib) [via iTunes]

Black Star bless the stage with “Fix Up” and “Astronomy” in the city of Toronto.

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