The Gorillaz song Mos Def called one of his greatest achievements
Gorillaz have formed a close relationship with rappers over the years, collaborating with the same artists on several occasions. Among these names are legends like De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Kano, and Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey), teaming up on multiple songs across 2010’s Plastic Beach album. The Brooklyn rapper is one of the most revered MCs when it comes to East Coast hip-hop, but one of his favourite career moments is alongside the virtual band.
Forming Gorillaz in the late ’90s allowed Damon Albarn to tap into his love of underground hip-hop. The first time he was properly introduced to the genre was in the back of music executive Jon Cohen’s car while driving around Brooklyn. He was hungover at the time and heard A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. The rest, as they say, is history.
So when his post-Blur group got started, it was only right that he collaborated with some of the best MCs from New York City, and they don’t get much bigger than Mos Def. Responsible for classic albums like Black on Both Sides and Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, the 51-year-old has never been afraid of going outside the box. Case in point: working with Gorillaz.
Mos collaborated with the group on two tracks from their second studio album. One of them was the lead single ‘Stylo’ alongside Bobby Womack, and the other was ‘Sweepstakes’, which Mos considers one of his best-ever songs. It’s a complete departure from his typical sound with its glitchy instrumental, but that’s precisely why it works.
He raps in the first verse, “Pay day, you’re a winner/ Keep cool, form a line/ Scared money, broke money/ Bold money, mo’ money/ So sunny, cloud breaker/ Sound maker, wave runner/ Wild wonder, funky drummer/ You can get it how you wanna.” The song is about people being hooked in by making them feel like a winner.
Although there are only two collaborations on the album, they actually recorded tracks songs for it. “I’ve got three on the Gorillaz record,” Mos once told BBC Radio 1 Xtra. “And they’re all really, what shall we say… ‘Sweepstakes’ is incredible. ‘Sweepstakes’ is one of the greatest things that I’ve ever done because it’s right on time – the first song we ever recorded together, and we did it in like one take. So ‘Sweepstakes’ is important to me.”
Albarn met Mos at the Box nightclub in Manhattan, according to fictional band member Murdoc Niccals, who told NME he was “an absolute gent.” It was around the time of a Kanye West afterparty, with Albarn sending him music over the course of six months before they eventually joined forces. Mos said their time in the studio was “sort of amazing,” describing Albarn as “an amazing dude.”
The Gorillaz and Mos Def partnership isn’t over yet, either. The duo have a new track called ‘Fresh Arrivals’, also featuring Syrian singer Omar Souleyman, which was premiered during the group’s no-phones show at the Copper Box Arena in London on September 3rd. The song is set to appear on Gorillaz’s untitled next album, which, needless to say, is highly anticipated based on their track record.