Black Star proved they still had the magic they displayed nearly a quarter-century ago on their debut Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star with the release of their sophomore set No Fear Of Time earlier this year. Then they did it again when they took the stage this past weekend to bring album tracks "So be it" and "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" this past weekend on Saturday Night Live. Now that they are back on the public's mind, they capitalize on the attention with the first video from the album, a clip for "So be it."
Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey take us on the road for the video that captures them (along with the album's producer Madlib) as they rip the stage like only they can during a string of shows in support of their album. The black-and-white visual accurately captures the electricity they bring to the stage as they perform for huge crowds. That's only half of it, though, as we also get a glimpse at backstage life as they're joined by their crew as well as a few of their famous friends — including Robert Glasper and Affion Crockett.
"'So be it' was one of the first songs Black Star recorded with Madlib for No Fear Of Time so it definitely set the tone of the project early on," Talib Kweli said in the YouTube comments of the video. "The song is a lyrical exercise, bars on bars, but we are not rhyming for the sake of riddling as the great Chuck D might say. This song is a call to action. It's a prayer. It's a manifesto."
Kweli later said of the song's video, "The visuals that accompany it are simple, but strong. Our value is in our performance and how we connect with our audience. We wanted to provide a visual that showcases that for the core fans."
If you haven't seen Black Star do their thing live before, the video for "So be it" might be the closest thing to it. Watch them rock the mic right when you watch below.
