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Mos Def's Tru3 Magic goes poof
By Jim Welte - MP3.com
January 9, 2007 at 02:51:00 PM | more stories by this author

Geffen Records recalls album, calling it a prerelease and planning to push a repackaged album under that title in the spring.

Despite the fact that it contains a Grammy-nominated song and currently resides on the Billboard 200 chart, Geffen Records wants Mos Def's new Tru3 Magic album to go poof.

Mos Def Mos Def

The album sold 11,000 copies when it hit stores December 29, but the label has recalled the album, choosing to call it a "limited edition prerelease" with plans to put out a repackaged item under that title with a different tracklisting and new artwork (the "prerelease" is only a picture-CD in a blank plastic case).

Why Geffen chose to release the album on a Friday--albums traditionally hit stores on Tuesday--in the hype-free shadow of the holiday season is unclear. Why the company changed its mind and decided to rerelease the album with more promotion is equally unclear.

As it stands, 11,000 Mos Def fans own an album that is little more than a collector's item. The album contains "Undeniable," the first single that happened to snare a Grammy nomination for "Best Rap Solo Performance" despite the fact that the album hadn't hit stores prior to the nominations announcement.

Mos Def's <em>Tru3 Magic</em>. Mos Def's Tru3 Magic.

It also contains "Katrina Klap," the rapper's scathing take on the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, set over the beat of Juvenile's "Nolia Clap." Mos was arrested while performing the song on a flatbed truck outside the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards last September.

The album has largely received negative reviews, with many focusing on the album sounding like it had been thrown together haphazardly.

And despite the announced recall, the album is still for sale at many online stores, including Amazon.com.

Now that's some true magic.

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4 Comments

Oldest First | Newest First
It's all really messy. I love Mos Def, but I was clueless this album was out. If a friend hadn't told me, I would have hardly bought it.

I'm glad I did. It wasn't love at first play, but it grew on me, and I still litsen to it especially tracks like, "Perfect Timing," "Lifetime," "Murder of a Teenage Life," "Crime and Medicine," "Fake Bonanza," & "Dollar Day."

Did they eventually release the other version?
Posted 03/31/2008 10:24pm
I'm glad i'm one of those 11,000 people.
Posted 01/10/2007 4:25am
Is he pulling a Common "Electric Circus "?
If so i'll pick it up.
Stop pushing back good stuff Uni/Geffen.
Posted 01/09/2007 11:01pm
wtf? This whole album has been weird from the get go. I wonder how he feels about it.
Posted 01/09/2007 6:38pm
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Mos Def Mos Def

Initially regarded as one of hip-hop's most promising newcomers in the late '90s, Mos Def expanded his reach in the years to come, establishing himself as a serious actor and also making a bid to reshape the rap-rock genre. His artistic career began in the late '80s as a television actor, a profession he began directly out of high school. By the...

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