Mos Def at the Guthrie. Photo by Brendan Sullivan.
On Monday, Mos Def showed why he is one of hip-hop's great performers, turning in a special show on the Guthrie Theater's main stage. He was rapping not acting. However, The Brooklynite made the most of the setting.
With the Guthrie still in the midst of its "A Streetcar Named Desire" run, the New Orleans apartment set provided the rapper with a visually-arresting backdrop. Wearing a dark blazer, white dress shirt, slacks and cream loafers, he would have been the best dressed extra in Stanley and Stella's neighborhood.
Much of Mos Def's hour-and-a-half set came from last year's near-classic album, "The Ecstatic." Here's the set list below. Note: it doesn't include the half-dozen or so interludes where Mos sang along (beautifully) to soul classics by Ray Charles, Al Green, Prince and many more.
Supermagic / Twilite Speedball / Casa Bey / Priority / Life In Marvelous Times/ Auditorium / Quiet Dog Bite Hard/ Hip-hop / Fake Bonanza / Ms. Fat Booty / Pistola / The Panties / Roses / Umi Says / Travellin' Man
Read the full concert review here.
Mos Def on top of the set:
