You might just be recovering from Outside Lands, but for a refreshing breath of funk, hip-hop, reggae and rhymes, book your tickets now for The Ecstatic Tour featuring bohemian queen Erykah Badu and political rapper/actor Mos Def—equal partners in talent.
Mos Def's fourth solo album, The Ecstatic, came out June 9 and his tour launched mid-August in Minneapolis. Now, Mos Def—along with the quirky Badu and her boyfriend Jay Electronica, are coming to San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall on Thursday. On Friday, they'll be at Oakland at the art-deco fabulous Paramount Theater, one of the most beautiful places to see any music in the Bay Area. Tickets are still available, but get them soon.
Reports from the kickoff concert say that Mos "gave shout outs to P.O.S., Atmosphere, Prince, and Garrison Keillor … He [also] called “The Auditorium,” his collaboration with Slick Rick, one of his favorite songs." My personal moment with Mos Def was when he acted in the excellent two-man play, Topdog, Underdog, in New York back in 2002; I've been in awe of his abilities ever since. Meanwhile, Badu's album, New Amerykah, has been on heavy rotation on my iPod since it came out. Put these two on the stage and it's guaranteed to be a great night.
