- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Troublingly short on tunes.
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When (and I mean, when) he raps, he's barely conscious.
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[A] disappointing release.
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It’s largely half-baked in its execution.
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The range on "The New Danger" is as broad and deep as the Brooklyn Renaissance itself.
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Unfortunately, irrational moments like “The Rape Over” make you question the entire 17-track outing.
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Mos Def's second solo album is not disastrous, but it's a sprawling, overambitious mess.
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It features the same schizophrenic, influenced-by-everything quality of Dre's The Love Below, but where people were able to overlook the many boring-to-terrible tracks while skipping to "Hey Ya" or "Roses," The New Danger fails to feature as strong a centerpiece.
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The New Danger is as overextended as it is self-indulgent.
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A funky, soulful flashback to the works of outspoken jazz and R&B greats like Gil-Scott Heron and Miles Davis.
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Here the defining flow is sonic--a shadowy, guitar-drenched tone poem of the streets.
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The New Danger is overambitious and undercooked, adventurous and bland all at once.
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A breathtaking refresher in all things Mos Def.
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A couple of creative notches below 2000's gleaming Black on Both Sides.
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It's not without its bright spots, yet it reaches dramatically but clumsily for the diversity and freshness of the first album, and comes up short.
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A sprawling mess.
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Although Mos Def sometimes finds the casual groove he's looking for, this disc is surprisingly dreary and oddly abstract. [1 Nov 2004]
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A messy, disappointing record that would be a miss from any artist, but from an artist of Mos Def’s talents, it’s a minor disaster.
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New Musical Express (NME)Not all of it works... but the 'What's Going On'-sampling 'Modern Marvel', mumbling folk-soul of 'Boogie Man Song' and widescreen shuffle of 'Champion Requiem' prove that not all hip-hop albums come with an expiry date. [23 Oct 2004, p.51]
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MojoA grimier, more uncomfortable listen. [Nov 2004, p.100]
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Rolling StoneEarthy, impressively diverse. [28 Oct 2004, p.101]
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UrbHe delivers for fans of every persuasion without losing grip on his ghetto past in the least--no easy feat. [Dec 2004, p.112]
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UncutAn experimental and melancholic set. [Dec 2004, p.157]
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BlenderThis is the hip-hop equivalent of an all-stops pulled, Oscar-ready performance: mushily sentimental, self-righteously indignant and constantly in your face. [Nov 2004, p.138]
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VibeLargely sounds like a drug-induced, incoherent jam session. [Dec 2004, p.215]
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Q MagazineA disappointment. [Nov 2004, p.124]
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FilterThe New Danger's pulse doesn't always support Mos' growing manhood. [#13, p.89]
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SpinIn a world where 50 Cent name-drops [Talib] Kweli, Mos Def wants to keep the line between indie hip-hop and major-label rap nice and blurry. [Oct 2004, p.112]
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Entertainment WeeklyA mishmash of mightily uneven demo-quality tracks. [29 Oct 2004, p.67]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 33 out of 42
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Mixed: 5 out of 42
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Negative: 4 out of 42
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Mar 31, 2013
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Aug 16, 2010
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MichaelCJan 1, 2007