Black Star

Biography

Black Star is an American hip hop duo formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1996 by rappers Yasiin Bey, then known as *Mos Def*, and Talib Kweli, who named the group after Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line shipping company. Both were part of the Native Tongues influenced underground scene around #Rawkus Records#, and their debut album 'Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star', released in 1998 with production largely by *Hi-Tek*, became a landmark of alternative hip hop, pairing jazz and soul samples with lyrics about Black consciousness, community and spirituality. The pair then concentrated on solo careers and occasional joint singles and tours for over two decades. Their second studio album, 'No Fear of Time', produced by *Madlib*, finally arrived in May 2022, released exclusively through the Luminary podcast platform.