Mos Def throws down at League W. Jacarl Melton For the Daily As DJ Carl spun '90s hip-hop classics from artists like Main Source, Slick Rick and Black Sheep, the sold out Michigan League Ballroom crowd rocked and recited lyrics from the favorite songs of their younger days. However, most of the energy in the room was stored for the appearance of one of the most talented MCs in current day hip-hop - Mos Def. Def appeared in the "Solar Eclipse" show, which also coincided with the Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium. Also involved in the program were several spoken word artists and the Ann Arbor/New Jersey based hip-hop crew, the Athletic Mic League. After almost three and a half hours of waiting, fans were delighted when they were given an added, and unexpected, bonus to the show. This bonus came in the form of De La Soul deejay Maseo (Plug Three). After dedicating the show to 14-year old convicted murderer Nathaniel Abraham, the first song of the night set the tone for the entire show. Def flowed over Bob James' classic break beat "Nautilus." Not only did Def excite the audience with his rhyme flow and beats, he also invoked the name of the Native Tongues, a group which originally consisted of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and other assorted acts. Though the original Tongues are almost completely defunct, Def's mentioning of the crew evoked questions about if the new Tongues, which have been said to include Common, who are going to record anytime soon. From this introduction, Def started into material mostly from his latest album "Black On Both Sides," leading off with "Hip Hop." As Def rhymed about the contradictions and issues in hip-hop today, the high-energy track caused the crowd to bounce to the beat. When he got to his lead single, "Ms. Fatbooty," Def asked for a little help from the crowd, since he was still in recovery from a bout with the flu. The audience was asked to sing the high-pitched chorus portion of the song. Needless to say, the audience obliged the request and sang, trying to match the effectiveness of the original. Later on, Maseo stepped from behind the turntables and announced that the audience would be privileged to hear some of the material from De La Soul's tentatively scheduled May 4 release "Artoffical Intelligence, Volume 1." Like the rest of the show, the crowd got into the song and was left craving more. The highlight of the night, however, was when Def performed his track "Rock N' Roll." The song started off rather smooth as Def rhymed about his love for real "rock n' roll" (Chuck Berry versus Elvis). The flow abruptly ended when Def began screaming into the microphone with the conviction that may have led some to believe he was recreating a scene from the movie "Scream." The crowed enjoyed it, though, and even attempted to form a quasi-mosh pit, but to no avail. Def has been working on a few projects, most notably the new Yo! MTV Raps. Unfortunately, the program fell through due to legal problems and he states that "it wasn't meant to be true." In the brighter side, Mos is working on a new project. "It will be out in early fall, God willing," he said. Originally on page 8A in the 1-19-2000 issue of the Daily.