Black Star has announced the physical release of their 2022 sophomore album No Fear of Time. It will be available on vinyl and CD for the first time ever on November 22nd via Rhymesayers Entertainment.
The duo reunited for a new album in 2022, 24 years after their debut album Mos Def And Talib Kweli Are Black Star back in 1998. The album, produced entirely by Maldib, was exclusive to the app Luminary where fans had to sign up to listen to the new music. It was never released on streaming services. Mos and Kweli worked with Luminary on the Dave Chappelle podcast The Midnight Miracle the year before.
“The initial release of this album in itself was an artistic statement,” stated Rhymesayers CEO Siddiq Sayers. “To be bold enough to bring this highly anticipated album to fans in a non-traditional way that centers the art and artist first is exactly what artistic independence is about. That spirit is at the core of what we’ve done at Rhymesayers for close to 30 years, and we’re proud to bring this album from a group so important to the culture into the world in the physical form.”
The album will be available on single-LP vinyl, CD, and cassette, along with a limited deluxe double-LP that includes both the main version and the instrumentals, each pressed on 180-gram vinyl in unique color treatments blending opaque white and opaque gold with translucent black ice and a metallic star effect. Pre-order here.
This deluxe vinyl edition is limited to 2000 units and features a foil stamped and numbered matte gatefold jacket, two full-color printed record sleeves, an 8-page matte lyric booklet, and an exclusive silver foil laminated heavyweight insert. Additionally, 300 units of the deluxe vinyl will be available as a premium bundle, which will include everything in the deluxe 2xLP vinyl package, with insert hand-signed by all three artists – yasiin bey, Talib Kweli and Madlib – along with a No Fear of Time t-shirt and a pair of Black Star slipmats.