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Yasiin Bey Announces Two New Albums Before Retirement, Unveils Tame Impala and Mannie Fresh Collaborations

HOLLYWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 28: Recording artist Mos Def helps Google announce new search capabilities to facilitate online music distribution during an event at the Capitol Records building on October 28 in Hollywood, California. Google is partnering with several companies including MySpace Music, Lala, Pandora and Imeem, all of which have licensing agreements with record companies to download samples and streams of millions of songs online. Among other services, Google is offering free steaming of songs in searches based on portions of the lyrics or musician names. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, on a pre-Life of Pablo audio statement posted on Kanye West’s website, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) announced his impending retirement from hip-hop. However, it seems that the rapper has a lot planned before he bows out of the game for good.

On Art Basel radio in Miami on Saturday, Bey spoke of a duo album with a very different musical force of nature—New Orleans producer-legend Mannie Fresh—and a new solo record. “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 December 21,” Bey said in the interview, according to Okayplayer. He played a few clips of the music as well, including a collaboration with Tame Impala.

At a surprise appearance at Boiler Room and Saul Williams’ “In Appreciation of Lyricism” concert at Art Basel, Bey also premiered some new material, which you can hear in the video below at approximately 5:14:00 (Bey performs parts of the Tame Impala tune).

This comes hot on the heels of Bey’s announcement of an upcoming album with Ferrari Sheppard, Dec 99th. The Apollo show, also announced last month, will reportedly be one of the legendary rapper’s last performances, coming directly before a three-night residency at the Kennedy Center in D.C.. Billboard reports that the rapper is scheduled to perform four of his classic albums—The New Danger, True Magic, The Ecstatic and Black on Both Sides—at all four shows along with the new music he’s just announced.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-w3Iej_RQQs