Mos Def — The New Danger

The latest release from Mos Def is a Jekyll-and-Hyde affair. For the first third of the record, the Brooklyn MC and his backup band seem to have been kidnapped by Fred Durst and forced at gunpoint to load tracks with tired nu metal riffs. However, the disc takes a turn for the better with the one-two punch of the bluesy "Bedstuy: Parade & Funeral March" and the dancefloor banger "Sex, Love And Money." The New Danger falls way short of the high standards that Mos Def set on his 1999 debut, but a strong second half saves it from total failure.