It opens with a dark mist of electro drums, scraping synths and cryptic raps. The Tribes of Jesus The Christ."Įspecially given that its presentation makes repeat listens difficult, as a piece of music, Negus is challenging to say the least. The centerpiece was a sprawling, woven mural by Bey himself depicting Henrietta Lacks' cells, with text popping out in a bold orange scrawl: "The blood of Jesus Christ. The walls were lined with works by Bey and visual artists José Parlá, Julie Mehretu and Ala Ebtekar, who all drew inspiration from listening to the album. Compositions by the Ethiopian nun and pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou played through the headphones as attendees entered the space, where seats and rugs were spread across the floor. The music was only one component of a larger audiovisual exhibition, described as a celebration of figures who have " led noble lives." Those subjects included Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells, later used in life-saving medical research, were harvested without her consent the murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle and Alämayyähu Tewodros, a 19th-century Ethiopian prince displaced by a British raid. When I attended in early January, I and my fellow museumgoers locked our phones in magnetically sealed pouches and were given on-ear wireless headphones, which simultaneously played the 28-minute album once through, like a silent disco. Tickets were $20 for adults, $25 on weekends. Shortened to simply Negus, the newest Yasiin Bey album lived for 10 weeks as an exclusive "listening installation" at the Brooklyn Museum, beginning Nov. But unless you made a special trip to Brooklyn this winter, you may never hear it. Years later, that album has finally arrived. Then, in January 2016, Bey announced on West's website that he was "retiring from the music recording industry as it is currently assembled today, and also Hollywood, effective immediately." In addition to a pair of collaborative releases, the message promised one more solo release, titled Negus in Natural Person. His appearances on wax were sparing: an A$AP Rocky feature here, a Kanye West collab there. He moved to Cape Town, was arrested for attempting to leave the country using a " world passport" and wound up detained for nearly a year. He was filmed being strapped down and force-fed for a video calling attention to the practices used at Guantánamo Bay. Over the next decade, he made headlines for reasons beyond music. Radiohead can be as avant-garde as they want and still have pop success, but if you're black you have to surrender yourself to the flashing lights." Also, a lot of it is the manifestation of society and colonialism in the industry. Who wants to be the outcast? But you have to commit to who you are. You have to look for validation from yourself. I've been spending my time building that road. There's another way with less congestion, less emissions. I'm not knocking it, but I have my mind on another type of prize. "It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different. But the moment, captured on video, went as viral among rap fans as it was possible to go in YouTube's second year. ("Like where the f*** is Sir Bono and his famous friends now," goes a pointed line.) NYPD stormed the stage, taking Bey and members of his crew into custody before he could finish the song. He broke into " Katrina Klap," a remix of New Orleans group UTP's " Nolia Clap" that Bey had recorded and leaked days after the disaster. Bey, then still known as Mos Def, wanted to send a message to the Bush administration, as well as the celebrities cozying up inside the venue, about their response to the disaster.Īround 10 p.m., Bey pulled up to Radio City in a flatbed truck decked out with a stage, lights and sound. 31, almost exactly a year since Hurricane Katrina had touched down in New Orleans. or Avenged Sevenfold had gathered on the sidewalk around the entrance of Radio City Music Hall. The night of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Yasiin Bey was behind bars.Įarlier that evening, fans who wanted a glimpse of Justin Timberlake, T.I. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Louis Vuitton Yasiin Bey at Paris Fashion Week in January 2019.
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