Yasiin Bey is set to return later this month with his first new solo material in half a decade.
The Brooklyn rap legend (who was formerly known as Mos Def) has announced that he will debut new music on December 15 via a livestreamed performance called Money Christmas.
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The performance will be broadcast live on Bey’s Bandcamp page at 2 p.m. EST, with access to the livestream costing $7.99.
While further details about the new material remain under wraps for now, Money Christmas is accompanied by artwork designed by Spanish-Moroccan artist Anuar Khalifi.
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Titled “Osanta Bin Lyin,” the painting adds to the Black Star MC’s bold political statements by depicting the late 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden in a Santa Clause costume.
Much like previous projects, Money Christmas will not be released through traditional channels such as streaming services.
Instead, mastered audio tracks and a full video of his performance will be available to purchase on Bandcamp 24 to 48 hours after the livestream, along with accompanying merch.
The material will also be released on vinyl in the coming months.
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While Money Christmas will end a drought of new solo music from Yasiin Bey, fortunately it doesn’t look like it will be followed by another dry spell.
According to a press release, the project is “the first of a number of upcoming releases intended to inextricably link the acquisition of music to the artwork and supporting video footage, creating a stronger and more creative bond with fans.”
Bey is no stranger to an unorthodox rollout having released his 2019 album Negus exclusively as a one-time listening experience in musuems around the world.
The eight-track, 28-minute project, which has yet to be made commercially available, sought to “acknowledge the importance of Hip Hop as a fundamental American art form […] without the distractions of technology.”
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Similarly, Black Star’s 2022 LP No Fear of Time — the duo’s first full-length offering in over two decades — made its own statement on the value of art by being initially released exclusively through the podcast network Luminary (which hosted Bey, Talib Kweli and Dave Chappelle’s The Midnight Miracle show).
The Madlib-produced album was later released on physical formats earlier this year, with a portion of the proceeds going towards global relief efforts.
