The hip-hop world has been waiting for more than 20 years for Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, and Talib Kweli to reunite as the rap duo Black Star, but it looks like Dave Chappelle had the fortitude to make it happen.
While the duo has remained friends and teased a new project over the years, the Brooklyn rappers will unite with the comedian for their new podcast, “The Midnight Miracle.”
The Half Baked star recorded their conversations during his 2020 “Summer Camp” series of shows inside “The Shack.” The old-school ambiance was filmed at a mechanics garage that was retrofitted as a clubhouse.
Similar to former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen’s “Renegades: Born in the USA” podcast, the three friends share stories about their lives and feature guests from among the country’s most influential cultural icons.
“Making a podcast isn’t the obvious next move for me, but it’s the right one. ‘The Midnight Miracle’ gives you a look into how me and my friends process the world around us, and I think it will change the way listeners think of what a podcast can be,” said Chappelle to Variety.
In the variety show tradition, the conversations are punctuated with sketches, impersonations, archival audio clips and a powerful soundtrack that includes music from Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, D’Angelo and Heatwave featuring Johnny Wilder.
According to Variety, “The Midnight Miracle” will be released in the coming weeks on Luminary and available on the Luminary channel on Apple Podcasts when its new subscription platform debuts worldwide later in May. A single season is planned, with new episodes starting in the coming weeks and continuing throughout the year and a summer hiatus.
Tiffany Haddish, Common, Chris Rock and Questlove will be among featured guests on the podcast series.
“Your whole world is about to change. Welcome to the @midnightmiracle,” Kweli captioned an Instagram post announcing their new endeavor.
Kweli is no stranger to the podcast game either. He has his own weekly interview show called “People’s Party,” where he talks with celebrities, media influencers, politicians and health professionals about various topics and how they affect hip-hop culture. The podcast airs on all the major streaming platforms.
