The New Danger
Encyclopedia
The New Danger is the second studio album
by American hip hop
artist Mos Def
, released October 19, 2004 on Rawkus
and Geffen Records
in the United States. The album was also released in Canada and continental Europe through Geffen, and it featured distribution in the United Kingdom on Island Records
. It is the follow-up to his breakthrough solo effort Black on Both Sides
(1999), after which he further involved himself in a film and stage career.
Production for the album was handled by Mos Def, Kanye West
, 88 Keys, Minnesota, Warryn Campbell
, and Psycho Les. Primarily a hip hop album, it also exhibits musical styles such jazz
, blues
, and rock music
with an experimental, jam session
-atmosphere. It also features contributions from Mos Def's rock musical project Black Jack Johnson, which was named after boxing champion Jack Johnson
and consists of guitarist Dr. Know
, keyboardist Bernie Worrell
, bassist Doug Wimbish
, and drummer Will Calhoun
. Upon release, The New Danger received generally mixed or average reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 59/100 from Metacritic
. Critics of the album were divided in their responses by its uneveness and sprawl.
Notes: Track 19 is a bonus track on the UK release only. The song was also released on his mixtape "Mos Definite" in 2007.
and at number #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 90,664 copies sold in the first week. To date, the album has sold more than 222,449 copies.
Album
Singles
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
, released October 19, 2004 on Rawkus
Rawkus Records
Rawkus Records is an American hip-hop record label known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawkus started in 1996 with initial releases ranging from hip-hop to drum and bass...
and Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
in the United States. The album was also released in Canada and continental Europe through Geffen, and it featured distribution in the United Kingdom on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. It is the follow-up to his breakthrough solo effort Black on Both Sides
Black on Both Sides
Black on Both Sides is the debut solo album of American rapper Mos Def, released October 12, 1999 on Rawkus Records. Prior to the album's recording, Mos Def had collaborated with rapper Talib Kweli for the duo's studio album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star , which raised high expectations for...
(1999), after which he further involved himself in a film and stage career.
Production for the album was handled by Mos Def, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, 88 Keys, Minnesota, Warryn Campbell
Warryn Campbell
Warryn Campbell is an American record producer. He specializes in gospel music and R&B.-Career:His work includes production and songwriting credits for Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Xzibit, Yolanda Adams, Dayna Caddell, Mos Def, Missy Elliott, Kierra Sheard, Brandy, Dave Hollister, Men of Standard,...
, and Psycho Les. Primarily a hip hop album, it also exhibits musical styles such jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with an experimental, jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
-atmosphere. It also features contributions from Mos Def's rock musical project Black Jack Johnson, which was named after boxing champion Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
and consists of guitarist Dr. Know
Dr. Know (guitarist)
Dr. Know is the stage name of Gary Miller, guitarist for Bad Brains, regarded as one of punk rock's most innovative and important bands...
, keyboardist Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
, bassist Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
, and drummer Will Calhoun
Will Calhoun
Will Calhoun is an American drummer, who graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music.-Career:...
. Upon release, The New Danger received generally mixed or average reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 59/100 from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Critics of the album were divided in their responses by its uneveness and sprawl.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Boogie Man Song" | Mos Def, Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J... |
2:22 |
| 2 | "Freaky Black Greetings" | Mos Def | 2:20 |
| 3 | "Ghetto Rock" | Minnesota | 3:53 |
| 4 | "Zimzallabim" | Easy Mo Bee Easy Mo Bee Osten Harvey, Jr., better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is a hip hop/R&B record producer, known for production work for late 80's artists such as Big Daddy Kane, but most notable for his affiliation with Bad Boy Records in its early years and his heavy production involvement in The Notorious... , Mos Def |
3:41 |
| 5 | "The Rape Over" | Kanye West Kanye West Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and... |
1:34 |
| 6 | "Blue Black Jack" (feat. Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.... ) |
Minnesota | 5:47 |
| 7 | "Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March" (feat. Paul Oscher) | Mos Def | 4:32 |
| 8 | "Sex, Love & Money Sex, Love & Money "Sex, Love & Money" is a single by rapper Mos Def. It was the lead off single from his long-awaited second album, The New Danger . In comparison to his earlier works, the song has a more abstract structure, much like most of The New Danger.... " |
Warryn Campbell Warryn Campbell Warryn Campbell is an American record producer. He specializes in gospel music and R&B.-Career:His work includes production and songwriting credits for Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Xzibit, Yolanda Adams, Dayna Caddell, Mos Def, Missy Elliott, Kierra Sheard, Brandy, Dave Hollister, Men of Standard,... |
4:09 |
| 9 | "Sunshine" | Kanye West | 4:25 |
| 10 | "Close Edge" | Minnesota | 3:10 |
| 11 | "The Panties" | Minnesota | 4:11 |
| 12 | "War" | Mos Def, Psycho Les | 3:07 |
| 13 | "Grown Man Business (Fresh Vintage Bottles)" (feat. Minnesota) | The Alchemist The Alchemist (producer) Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California... |
3:24 |
| 14 | "Modern Marvel" | Minnesota | 9:19 |
| 15 | "Life Is Real" | Molecules | 3:11 |
| 16 | "The Easy Spell " | Mos Def | 5:32 |
| 17 | "The Beggar" | Mos Def | 5:19 |
| 18 | "Champion Requiem" | 88-Keys | 4:52 |
| 19 | "The Jump Off" (feat. Ludacris Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings... ) |
Minnesota | 4:21 |
Notes: Track 19 is a bonus track on the UK release only. The song was also released on his mixtape "Mos Definite" in 2007.
Chart history
The album debuted at number #5 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and at number #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 90,664 copies sold in the first week. To date, the album has sold more than 222,449 copies.
Album
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 2004 | The New Danger | #5 | #2 | |
Singles
| Single information |
|---|
| "Sex, Love & Money Sex, Love & Money "Sex, Love & Money" is a single by rapper Mos Def. It was the lead off single from his long-awaited second album, The New Danger . In comparison to his earlier works, the song has a more abstract structure, much like most of The New Danger.... "
|
Personnel
- Black Jack Johnson - House Band (feat. Will CalhounWill CalhounWill Calhoun is an American drummer, who graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music.-Career:...
, Doug WimbishDoug WimbishDoug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
, Dr. KnowDr. Know (guitarist)Dr. Know is the stage name of Gary Miller, guitarist for Bad Brains, regarded as one of punk rock's most innovative and important bands...
) - Mos DefMos DefDante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
- producer, vocals, piano, drums - Raphael SaadiqRaphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
- producer, guitar, bass - Bernie WorrellBernie WorrellGeorge Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
- keyboards - Minnesota - producer
- Easy Mo BeeEasy Mo BeeOsten Harvey, Jr., better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is a hip hop/R&B record producer, known for production work for late 80's artists such as Big Daddy Kane, but most notable for his affiliation with Bad Boy Records in its early years and his heavy production involvement in The Notorious...
- producer - Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
- Shuggie OtisShuggie OtisShuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist....
- guitar - L Mitchellon (?) - piano, organ
- Warryn CampbellWarryn CampbellWarryn Campbell is an American record producer. He specializes in gospel music and R&B.-Career:His work includes production and songwriting credits for Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Xzibit, Yolanda Adams, Dayna Caddell, Mos Def, Missy Elliott, Kierra Sheard, Brandy, Dave Hollister, Men of Standard,...
- producer - Psycho Les - producer
- 88-Keys - producer
External links
- The New Danger at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- The New Danger at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Album Review at RapReviews
- Review and audio interview at Vibe