Recently ran into Mista B at Amoeba Music San Francisco (as pictured left) as the famed turntablist and member of SF's 4OneFunk crew (with Teeko, B.Cause, Max Kane) was dropping off copies of his tight new independently released CD SonicSoulSpace.

This latest production by  Mista B comes hot on the heels of his collaborative mix CD with fellow 4OneFunk'er B.Cause titled Record Haterz. That ol skool Bay Area rap mix dug deep in the vinyl crates to deliver a flawless mix punctuated by forgotten gems by such bygone Bay rap greats as Totally  Insane, 415 (feat. RIchie RIch), and 11/5.

Mista B will be flying out to New York in a couple of weeks to represent the Bay Area in the 2009 DMC US Finals Battle - the legendary DJ battle where skilled turntablists from all over, usually with endless hours upon hours of practice, converge in a heated battle that only last minutes but whose results go down in the history books forever. This will be Mista B's fifth time to enter a DMC battle.  "I have mixed feelings upon competing again. Usually, DJs compete just once and [then] they're done.  For me, it's not just about the competition but it's about sharing this so called art of turntabilism," he told me. "I feel that DJ battles are one of very few platforms to showcase the art.  So with me, I still practice because I like to work on my craft, my skill if you will.  Specifically beat juggling for me.  I don't do it to be better than the next guy, but to be better than what I was yesterday and to show how graceful sounding this art is" Always pushing himself to improve and to innovate the SF who has been honing his diligently DJ'ng since 1993, told me that.  "I took a class in college and a professor came up with the concept, "sound art." That concept stuck with me since so I like to consider what I do "turntable sound art."  So now I just look for a medium to showcase the art.  So here I am again, competing on a high level versus the country's best DJs, The DMC USA Finals again."

1) Mos Def The Ecstatic (Downtown)

2) J Dilla Jay Stay Paid (Nature Sounds)

3) Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Interscope)

4) DJ Quik & Kurupt Blaqkout (Mad Science)

5) Eminem Relapse (Shady/Aftemath/Interscope)

Following two less than impressive albums (2004's The New Danger and 2006's True Magic) from an artist who has the skills to deliver more, Mos Def returns with his strongest release in many years, The Ecstatic on Downtown. This is the New York emcee's fourth solo release. The new 16 track album, this week's number one hip-hop release at Amoeba Music Berkeley, returns Mos Def to closer to the magic captured on his debut Black on Both Sides ten years ago and his earlier Black Star days than he has been in quite a while.

Maybe the renaissance man (who also has a successful active acting career, including the award nominated role he had in last year's movie Cadillac Records) was spreading himself too thin up til recently to deliver a solid hip-hop album like this one. Or maybe the fact that for this record he had, among others, Madlib, his younger brother Oh No, Preservation, Mr Flash, and even the late J Dilla on production duties, all of whose beats and mixes perfectly compliment Def's smooth flow. J Dilla's production was for the song "History" featuring Talib Kweli, Mos Def's other half in the legendary hip-hop duo Black Star.

Talib Kweli can easily be crowned as one of Brooklyn’s finest mc’s. For years the industry veteran has championed positive portrayals of urban society through his eternally omniscient lyrics. After the critical and commercial success on Black Star, Kweli, alongside “Ms. Fat Booty” himself, Mos Def, forced record labels to pay closer attention to underground Hip-Hop. Before the Internet, an underground artist struggled immensely without the help of perpetual touring. Needless to say, the crowned emcee puts on a concert better than blueberry pancakes and mimosas on a breezy Sunday morning. He takes “hip-hop live” to a whole new level. Check out this EXCLUSIVE footage of Talib and long time collaborator Hi-Tek putting it down last week in Austin, TX at SXSW to a live band and a packed house.

                                                   (video courtesy of Paul Stewart of Next-Thing)

I caught up with Talib and asked him ten simple questions. We chopped it up about the upcoming Reflection Eternal: Train of Thought II album -- one of the most anticipated albums of '09 -- Blacksmith artist Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady, his collaboration with R&B singer Res, and the possibility of a Black Star Reunion.

In contrast to so many rappers today who pride themselves on 'going dumb' and acting 'ignant,' Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli prides himself on staying smart, both in his life (along with Mos Def he owns an independent, non-profit black bookstore in Brooklyn) and through his refreshingly conscious music that harks back to the golden age of hip-hop, when saying something positive was as important as a laying down a catchy hook for the radio and dancefloor. It is no coincidence that "Kweli" in Swahili means "true," since the artist is 100% true to hip-hop as a positive black art form meant to uplift rather than dumb-down the masses.

Like his longtime collaborators and old Rawkus pals Mos Def and Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli has always stayed true to hip-hop's roots and yet has managed to stay current and vital. Personally, I think he is one of the few contemporary artists making hip-hop that is worth a damn and when I first got his 2006 single "Listen" (off his new album Ear Drum), it just got stuck both in my head and on my turntable for weeks on end. It is the way hip-hop should be: good track and hook with lyrics that actually say something. Check out the video for "Listen" below. But later today (Monday August 20th) if you are in the Los Angeles area you can probably see/hear him perform it live if you check out his Hollywood Amoeba Music instore. It starts at 6PM, but get there early to jockey a good position. And if, like me, you will not be in SoCal, take advantage of the live streaming of his instore via our website, also scheduled to start at 6PM Pacific Standard Time.