Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is the only studio album by
Black Star, a hip hop duo consisting of
emcees Talib Kweli and
Mos Def (the latter of whom now goes by the stage name
Yasiin Bey). The album was released on September 29, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the
Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by
Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in
Brooklyn, New York City, as the two artists know it.