Fashion house Amiri enlisted hip-Hop duo Black Star, Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, to star in their Fall Winter 2023 Icon campaign captured by photographer Karim Sadli. In charge of styling was Ellie Grace Cumming, with art direction from Jonny Lu, set design by Jabez Bartlett, casting direction by Noah Shelley, and production by brachfeld/. Beauty is work of hair stylist Damien Boissinot, makeup artist Christelle Cocquet, and manicurist Alexandra Janowski.
In 1997, Black Star emerged from Brooklyn, New York, as an influential American hip hop duo. Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Talib Kweli are both accomplished performers. Rooted in the underground Hip Hop movement of the late 1990s, Black Star‘s origins are closely tied to Rawkus Records, an independent New York City-based record label. Their only album, “Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star,” was released on August 26, 1998. Although the album was praised by critics, its commercial success was moderate. Black Star, along with other members of the Native Tongues Posse, was instrumental in shaping and elevating underground alternative rap, propelling it into the mainstream spotlight. Notably, both members have pursued solo careers that have been marked by commercial success and critical acclaim.
The central themes of Black Star‘s work are profoundly rooted in social awareness and political concerns. Following the untimely deaths of Hip Hop icons The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, the endeavor was conceived. During this time period, the young Hip Hop culture struggled without the iconic leadership of Smalls and Shakur. Black Star attempted to address these tensions in songs such as “Definition” and “Re: Definition,” which contain the poignant lyrics: “I said one, two, three / It’s kinda dangerous to be an emcee / They shot Tupac and Biggie / Too much violence in hip-hop, why-ooo.“
