Mos Def is back. Well, Yasiin Bey, then-Mos Def at the time of the release of his debut solo album Black On Both Sides via Rawkus, is bringing back the nostalgia of his old name and arguably his magnum opus by celebrating the 20th anniversary of his 1999 solo full-length debut.
On October 25 of this year, Yaslin will perform his debut album in celebration of its October 12 release date at the first of two shows announced on Wednesday. First, Yaslin will make his way to the west coast to perform at the Greek Theatre on the campus of UC Berkeley with special guests Slick Rick, Erykah Badu, and Busta Rhymes. Then, Yasiin will return home to Brooklyn to perform at New York’s Brooklyn Steel on November 3. In Brooklyn, Camp Lo will accompany Yasiin Bey. In addition to his two 20th anniversary shows, Yasiin will be part of Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival on November 9.
Black On Both Sides, which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200, came on the heels of Yasiin’s joint album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star in 1998. Now, Mos Def goes by Yasiin Bey as he gears up for his 20th-anniversary shows, while Talib Kweli hosts People’s Party via Uproxx. With Yasiin’s announcement, it’s fair to speculate if he’ll be making an appearance on Talib’s show soon.
You can purchase tickets to see Yasiin Bey at his two Black on Both Sides 20th anniversary shows here, and you can purchase tickets to the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival here.