The return of Black Star may soon be among us. Recently, a Reddit user made the revelation that while attending a Madlib DJ set in Denver, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) showed up and unveiled that he and bandmate Talib Kweli would be returning with an album with Madlib.
"I just got back from a Madlib DJ set in Denver, and Yasiin Bey made a surprise appearance, and announced a Blackstar & Madlib album dropping in 2018," the user, Mellowtooth, wrote out. "He even mentioned it several times. Yasiin showed up after performing elsewhere in Denver with Talib Kweli the same night."
For added measure, Mellowtooth went on to attach audio clips of the announcement. "New Black Star with Madlib, Talib Kweli, Yasiin coming soon," Yasiin can be hear saying. "All Madlib, all day. 2018."
It was in 1998 that a then-Mos Def and Talib Kweli debuted as the duo known as Black Star wih the project titled Mos Def And Talib Kweli Are Black Star. While they have gone on to appear as featured guests on each other's efforts, the 1998 classic was the only outing they'd go on to officially release as a unit, and in an interview in 2014 Kweli practically dismantled any hope of any reunion.
"You know, part twos are overrated, bruh," Talib noted. "People are always like, ‘You need to make a part two to ‘Get Em High.' Yeah, ain’t no guarantee the part two’s gonna come out dope. ‘You need to make a Black Star album part two.’ You know, how about you just go listen to the old one? The reason you like it so much is cause it is what it is. Appreciate it for what it is.”
Considering these past remarks, this new revelation is certainly a refreshing surprise. So far, there has been no official confirmation of the project.