Mos Def Shows Black Thought That He’s A True Fan

The BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher with Eminem, Mos Def, and Black Thought of The Roots was already completely dope. I have a huge affinity for the combinations of people the Cypher tends to bring together as it is, but, somehow, this back stage video of Mos Def and Black Thought causes even more excitement.

A lot of emcees talk about being a fan of hip-hop first, but I’ve never believed anybody quite as much as I believe Mos Def, who spits the entirety of The Roots’ “75 Bars” here just because he loves it so much. Even Black Thought is impressed, and it’s not the first time that Mos Def has taken a moment to gush alongside someone he really respects. He’s done the same for MF Doom, and in this Embedded outtake from Current TV, Mos also talks about how he was freaking out just because he was able to get Slick Rick to guest on his latest album, The Ecstatic.

When someone loves what they’re a part of and their peers that help make up the same genre that much, then it’s really no wondering how someone like Mos Def has succeeded for over ten years. He’s a fan before everything, and it’s refreshing to see who strives to be the best at what he does but hasn’t forgotten what makes his craft enchanting in the first place.