Yasiin Bey announced a new album last week, a collaborative release with Ferrari Sheppard titled December 99th. Now, it appears the rapper actually has two more additional LPs on the way before his planned retirement.
The artist formerly known as Mos Def revealed the news during an interview on WNL Radio, broadcast over the weekend at Miami’s Art Basel event. “I will be premiering my new album, Negus In Natural Person, and me and Mannie Fresh’s project, which is called As Promised, at The Apollo on Dec. 21,” he said. The Apollo show is one of Bey’s four final US concerts.
Bey then proceeded to play snippets of new music presumably off Negus In Natural Person and As Promised, including one clip that featured him rapping over Tame Impala and another believed to have been produced by Fresh. Bey and Fresh began working together some four years ago on a joint album called OMFGODBKNOLA; as Complex points out, that project never saw release.
It’s unclear when Negus In Natural Person and As Promised will officially be released, but Sheppard did confirm to OkayPlayer that both albums were complete and ready to drop.
Below, check out a few of those song snippets. December 99th arrives on December 9th.
Update: Bey also debuted new music last night at a Boiler Room and Saul Williams event in Miami, as Pigeons & Planes notes. Watch a short clip of him performing a new track called “No Time to Pretend” as well as his full set (scroll to the 5:12:00 mark).
