Hip hop is generally split into a few distinctive types these days. There’s hip hop that panders to the commercial market, where artists rap about money, guns and bitches (think 50 Cent and G Unit), and then there’s hip hop that caters to the more socially conscious school of thought, where cuts are just as much about the lyrics as they are the beats, and emcees rap about more meaningful topics. Brooklyn MC Mos Def (real name Dante Smith) falls into the latter category.

Known as one half of Black Star with close friend Talib Kweli, their 1998 album Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star has been hailed by fans and critics alike as one of the seminal hip hop albums of the 90s. Following it up with his classic debut solo album Black on Both Sides in 1999, Mos Def was on top of his game. Around this time, however, he took a sabbatical and started gaining roles in films, having studied acting at a young age, and appeared in Monster’s Ball and The Italian Job. 2004 saw him release his sophomore album The New Danger, its blend of hip hop, soul, blues and rock dividing critics. In 2006, reportedly to get out of his then record contract with Geffen, he released True Magic, which came in a clear case with no cover art and little promotion. More movies such as The Woodsman, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and _Be Kind Rewind followed, along with a recurring role in Chappelle’s Show. Now after a three year hiatus, Mos Def finally returns with his highly anticipated fourth solo album, The Ecstatic.

Featuring an enviable roster of producers, right from the start one can tell that it’s a return to form for Mos Def. Stones Throw alumni Oh No contributes the opening track Supermagic, which opens with a snippet from a Malcolm X speech and bursts into an almost Bollywood inspired electro rock track, alternating with a fierce guitar riff throughout. Twilight Speedball is the next track, with production from N.E.R.D’s Chad Hugo. Sounding like it came straight out of a B-grade horror flick, Mos deals with the drug culture of today; “…bad news and good dope, powder, potion, pills, smoke…”.

Another Stones Throw wunderkind Madlib contributes four tracks to the album, including the broad sweeping Auditorium featuring Slick Rick, the Ruler trading verses with Mos Def in one of the best cuts on the album. On Wahid, Mos spits with urgency as he rattles off the track in 100 seconds. Preservation contributes one of the more memorable beats on Priority the haunting repetitive piano and brass arrangement complemented by Mos Def’s earnest flow. Quiet Dog Bite Hard ups the pace, almost incorporating a salsa beat. Ed Banger’s Mr Flash contributes a subtle synth-laden Euro style cut on Life in Marvelous Times, and strips the beat back on The Embassy, which itself transforms briefly into a Bhangra number.

On No Hay Nada Mas, the track lacks much of a backing beat, and presumably is only included to show his aptitude for Spanish. Pistola is underpinned by a slight calypso vibe, with Mos holding his own as he croons out the chorus, while Pretty Dancer is vintage Madlib with its moody atmospheric, yet funky beat. Workers Comp has a slight reggae feel to it, while revelations is yet another distinctive Madlib joint, with its slow beat and comic book stylings. Georgia Anne Muldrow lends her sweet vocals to Roses, a track she also produced. Finally towards the end of the album is the cut that all Black Star fans were waiting for. Mos Def and Talib Kweli reunite for the J Dilla produced History, and it doesn’t disappoint. That very Dilla-eqsue sound is there, and the dynamic between Mos and Talib is like they’d never even taken a break from Black Star. My only gripe is that at just over 2 minutes, it leaves us wanting more. Closing out with Casa Bey, Mos Def shows he can hold his own while spitting a frenzy over his own co-produced beat.

It’s a return to form for Mos Def. It’s head and shoulders above True Magic, and kind of feels like what The New Danger should have been. Littered throughout with excursions into numerous musical genres, the difference this time is that they don’t try too hard to be something they’re not. There’s an honesty to this record that places it above the majority of releases this year. After this and Kweli’s latest records being among their best, a proper Black Star reunion is all that’s left to see the best alliance in hip hop come full circle.