Black Star (yasiin bey & Talib Kweli) release ‘No Fear of Time’ On Qobuz
Today, Black Star — the duo of yasiin bey (formerly Mos Def) and Talib Kweli — release their sophomore album No Fear of Time exclusively on Qobuz, following its physical format release in 2024 on Rhymesayers Entertainment, and its initial release in 2022 on the podcast platform Luminary. Listen and download No Fear of Time on Qobuz here and purchase it on physical formats here.
It’s the first time the album is available on a traditional streaming platform, but the move is a natural one — earlier this year yasiin bey partnered with Qobuz and Rhymesayers to reissue his seminal 2009 album The Ecstatic, which marked the first time the album was available for worldwide distribution in more than 15 years. Listen to The Ecstatic via Qobuz here and purchase it on vinyl, CD and cassette via Casa Bey here.
Rooted in a mutual commitment to superior sound fidelity and equitable pay for creators, this alliance reflects yasiin’s own artistic principles and his longstanding advocacy for artist rights. By joining forces with a platform known for its high-quality audio and expert human curation, bey is highlighting alternatives for those who prioritize artistic integrity and the inherent value of art.
Upon its original release, No Fear of Time finally reunited one of the greatest hip-hop duos of all-time nearly a quarter century after their debut. Group members yasiin bey and Talib Kweli, both enormously influential hip-hop artists in their own right, first joined forces as Black Star to deliver their iconic 1998 breakout, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, which quickly became one of hip-hop’s most revered works and launched both already-rising stars into the stratosphere.
After years spent nurturing their respective solo careers, the duo returned with the Madlib-produced No Fear of Time in 2022, recorded guerrilla-style around the globe in hotels and in dressing rooms at Dave Chappelle’s shows over the course of four years and released exclusively via the podcast platform Luminary. Luminary is also the home of The Midnight Miracle podcast, which the duo hosted with Chappelle. An official video was produced for album highlight “So Be It,” which the duo also performed during their SNL debut, as well as a lyric video for “o.G.”
No Fear of Time is out now, listen to it exclusively on Qobuz here & purchase it in multiple physical formats here.
Photo by Mathieu Bitton