Dave Chappelle and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) crashed Madlib’s set during the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco on Thursday (February 22). According to SFGate, Bey told the crowd he had just recorded the first verse for the new Black Star album on Wednesday (February 21), which he rapped on stage.
“I’m so excited, I don’t even know how to feel,” he said. “I fuck with the Bay Area.”
Bey pulled a similar stunt earlier this month after a Black Star show in Denver, where he announced he and his Black Star brethren Talib Kweli were doing another album during Madlib’s DJ set next door. It would mark Black Star’s first project since 1998’s Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star.
Toward the end of Madlib’s set in San Francisco, Bey and Chappelle led the audience in a live rendition of The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly.”
@Madlib
Special Appearance #YasiinBey + #DaveCheppelle#KillingMeSoftly@NoisePop#WakandaForeverpic.twitter.com/QVGGYeYfzf— eris asteroid (@iMOHNET) February 23, 2018
The performance was capped off by an impromptu stage dive courtesy of the Hip Hop-loving comedian.
Kweli, who’s been uncharacteristically quiet about the possibility of a Black Star reunion album, addressed it via Twitter on Friday (February 23). After a fan implored him to collaborate with A Tribe Called Quest on the project, Tribe’s Jarobi White replied, “I’m down.” Kweli replied with three raised fist emojis.
I'm down! Lol@SmokeyMcPot420@AliShaheed@QtipTheAbstract@TalibKweli#BlackStar#MosDef
— Jarobi White (@JarobiWhite) February 22, 2018
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To make things even more official, DJ Set Free — producer and founder of the New York City-based design/music studio Compound — teased fans with an Instagram photo he posted on Thursday (February 22) featuring Bey and Kweli.
“Who wants to hear this new BlackStar Album,” he wrote in the caption. “@talibkweli #YasiinBey.”
The answer is: most likely everyone.
