Various Artists - Music From The Motion Picture: B.Various Artists - Senseless: Music From The Dimens.Various Artists - Held Up: Original Motion Picture.Compton's Most Wanted - It's a Compton Thang (1990) ☠.Compton's Most Wanted - Straight Checkn 'Em (1991).Compton's Most Wanted - Music To Driveby (1992).Various Artists - Romeo Must Die: The Album (2000).Amorphis - The Beginning of Times (Limited Edition.Amorphis - Circle (Deluxe Edition) (2013).Various Artists - Street Fighter (All New Songs Fr.The Comas - Wave To Make Friends (1999).The Comas - A Def Needle In Tomorrow (2000).Various Artists - A Thin Line Between Love & Hate.Various Artists - Booty Call (The Original Motion.Various Artists - Soul In The Hole (Original Music.The Black Watch - The King of Good Intentions (199.The Black Watch - Very Mary Beth (2003) ☠.Impaled Nazarene - Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz.Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought (2000).Brand Nubian - Everything Is Everything (1994).Brand Nubian - Time's Runnin' Out (2007).Matt Suggs - Golden Days Before They End (2000).The National - Trouble Will Find Me (2013).Nick Wiz - Cellar Sounds Volume Five: 1992-1998 (2.Various Artists - MTV: The Return of The Rock Volu.Hanz Krypt - Tales From The Krypt (2016).Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (2002 Reissue) ⚓.Consequence - Don't Quit Your Day Job! (2007) ☠.The National - Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003).Amorphis - Far From The Sun (Deluxe Edition) (2003).
Amorphis - Eclipse (Limited Edition) (2005).He must be saving his strength for the next release. It's unthinkable that Mos has nothing left in the tank for hip-hop. There is just enough quality material ("Dollar Day," "Fake Bonanza," "There Is a Way") to make the average fan not want to wipe the whole thing from memory, but the flashes of brilliance are all too scarce. "U R the One," possibly a Kanye West production, almost qualifies as half-assed parody (nostalgia-inducing strings, dramatic punctuations, wordless female background vocals, plinky percussion), and when it's followed immediately by the most-likely-intended-as-parody beat of "Thug Is a Drug" (plodding "suspense" keyboards, fake gun fire, comically rapid-fire percussion hits), it's all the more bewildering. A synthesized replay of the horn riffing from Jimmy Castor's "It's Just Begun" sounds stuck between settings marked "kazoo" and "toy trumpet." "Crime & Medicine," using the instrumental of GZA's "Liquid Swords," belongs on a mixtape. The beats tend to be as bleary and boilerplate, or merely slapped into place. On almost every track, his voice is cloaked in echo, which only adds further detachment. Mos frequently seems like he's staring at a blank wall as he rhymes and sings, rattling off his thoughts with a distinct lack of authority. No matter the circumstances, True Magic is a muddled, low-energy disappointment. Add to this the well-circulated rumors of Mos Def's desire to be extricated from Geffen, and the expectations are bound to be significantly lowered. (Suggested retail price: $16.99.) The FBI anti-piracy warning is the biggest logo on the package, and beside it, those who would like to see the credits are directed to The week the disc was released, there were no credits to be found on the site the latest news item, in fact, was posted in early October 2005. Dumped on a post-Christmas/pre-New Year graveyard release date - and, oddly, a Friday at that - the disc comes in a clear plastic box with no artwork, unless you count the sticker slapped onto the back. There's not much evidence that any of the involved cares much about True Magic.