Yasiin Bey is scheduled to debut his first new solo work in five years later this month.
The legendary Brooklyn rapper (previously known as Mos Def) has revealed that he will unveil new music on December 15 through a livestream performance titled Money Christmas.
The concert will be streamed live on Bey’s Bandcamp page at 2 p.m. EST, with the livestream available for $7.99.
Although additional information about the new material is still confidential at this time, Money Christmas features artwork created by Spanish-Moroccan artist Anuar Khalifi.
Entitled “Osanta Bin Lyin,” the artwork enhances the Black Star MC’s daring political messages by portraying the deceased 9/11 architect Osama bin Laden dressed as Santa Claus.
Similar to earlier projects, Money Christmas will not be launched via conventional avenues like streaming platforms.
Rather, polished audio tracks and a complete video of his performance will be offered for sale on Bandcamp 24 to 48 hours following the livestream, along with related merchandise.
The content will also be launched on vinyl in the next few months.
Although Money Christmas will conclude a period without new solo tracks from Yasiin Bey, fortunately, it seems that another dry spell will not follow.
As stated in a press release, the initiative is “the first among several forthcoming releases aimed at seamlessly connecting the purchase of music with the artwork and accompanying video material, fostering a deeper and more artistic relationship with fans.”
Bey is familiar with unconventional releases, having unveiled his 2019 album Negus solely as a unique listening event in museums globally.
The eight-track, 28-minute work, which has not yet been released for commercial sale, aimed to “recognize the significance of Hip Hop as a vital American art form […] free from the distractions of technology.”
Likewise, Black Star’s 2022 album No Fear of Time — the pair’s first full-length project in more than twenty years — expressed its own message about the importance of art by being first launched solely via the podcast network Luminary (which featured Bey, Talib Kweli, and Dave Chappelle’s The Midnight Miracle show).
The album produced by Madlib was subsequently released in physical formats this year, with a share of the profits directed towards worldwide relief initiatives.
