We’re going to do things a little bit differently today on the Video Wrap and not only drop some music videos, but some other tidbits as well. You know, like Chelsea Handler’s all-rapper roundtable and Fat Joe talking about the time Biggie wanted to kill DJ Clue. Good times. See more…

while 90% of the other sites out there are jabbering about what Drake had for breakfast or the latest ridiculous beef, instead we’re going to spend a moment with Goapele’s new Mos Def-assisted “Different (Remix)”. For those who don’t know, Goapele (pronounced “gwa-pah-lay”) is a Bay Area singer who’s not only gorgeous, but puts out gorgeous music. Listen and download…

Mashup mixtapes can often feel pretty lazy - take the beat from one song, but the lyrics from another over it, repeat as necessary - but when they work they cab make you look at some of your favorite songs in a whole new light. That’s exactly the case with Max Tannone (who also did the Jay x Radiohead “Jaydiohead” project) and his new “Mos Dub” mixtape. By taking some of Mos’ most def lyrical cuts and laying them over the finest that dub/reggae/dancehall has to offer, Tannone has definitely made me take a second look at tracks I’ve had on repeat for years now. Enjoy.  Listen and download…

I don’t post snippets, trailers of behind-the-scenes features. My philosophy is; why give yourself musical blue balls when you can get the full thing, plus a happy ending, if you just want a little? The point is that while the interwebs got their collective underwear in a bunch over a snippet of Ski Beatz’ new track “Taxi” a month ago, those of us who exhibited a little patience were rewarded today with the real deal, complete with pretty damn good verses from Mos Def - who apparently finally is interested in rap again - and newcomer Whosane, who I don’t know but does a damn good job. Listen and download…

In the late 90’s, Mos Def’s partnership with Kweli as the hip-hop group Black Star produced an album that is definitely a classic, but to me it’s his solo effort “Black On Both Sides” that fully displays his brilliance. Released in 1999, “Black On Both Sides” was the solo debut of Mos Def, and with 17 tracks, was an epic piece of hip-hop. See more…

If you prize creativity and originality, and if you’re on RefinedHype I know you do, it doesn’t get much crazier than a group comprised entirely of fictional cartoon characters, and yet, here we are. The second leak off the Gorillaz’s upcoming “Plastic Beach” album, following the pulsing “Stylo”, is “Sweepstakes”, a cut featuring Mos Def and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble that sounds like someone took Mos Def circa “The New Danger”, inserted him into a 90’s video game and then added a marching band on acid. Yeah, you’re just going to have to listen to it. Listen and download…

There are only a handful of albums that I can recite in their entirety, and Mos Def’s “Black on Both Sides” is one of them, and the song that first convinced me to give “Both Sides” a listen was “Ms. Fat Booty”, a supremely sultry track that to this date remains of of Mos Def’s all-time best. And that’s saying a lot. Listen and download…

Reflection Eternal, a.k.a. Talib Kweli and Hi-Te, delivered one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, “Train of Thought’ way back in 2000, so it was no wonder that a leak of their new song “Just Begun” is causing more hip-hop heads to go scrambling to their computers than when Cassie’s nude pics dropped (maybe not, but you get the point); plus throw in features from Mos Def, J. Cole and possible messiah Jay Electronica? Pandemonium. Listen and download…

The world’s most famous animated band Gorillaz (in reality Damon Albarn and a rotating cast of musicians) had their new single “Stylo” leak and if the songs any indication, their new album is going to be walnuts. In addition to production that’s part ‘80s pop, part street hip-hop and part funk, “Stylo” features some haunting vocals from Bobby Womack and a supremely distorted verse from Mos Def. Listen and download…

Wait, what’s that? We’re getting two live Roots tracks in one day? Yes sir, and if there really is a God there will be more on the way. Right after posting the Clipse-Roots collabo I got hit with some audio from the recent OkayPlayer Holiday Jammy concert featuring three live tracks from The Roots and Mos Def, “Dundee”, “Umi Says” and “Adrenaline”. Thank ya Jesus! Listen & download…