Yasiin Bey – formally known as Mos Def– has announced the details of his livestream gig ‘Money Christmas’.
The legendary American rapper’s ‘Money Christmas’ livestream is set to take place on Sunday (December 15) at 7pm GMT (8pm CET, 2pm EST) and will see him debut his first new solo material in five years. The new material follows the premiere of his 2019 ‘Negus’ sound installation.
‘Money Christmas’ will be broadcast live on Bey’s Bandcamp here for $7.99 (£6). The performance will be available for 48 hours. Rather than releasing his new work in a traditional fashion, fans will be able to access Bey’s new material exclusively via the purchase of a QR code which will be issued alongside limited-edition merchandise such as hoodies, t-shirts, stickers and laminates on his Bandcamp. Bey’s new solo work will also be released on vinyl at a later date.
The innovative approach to releasing his new work is the first of many future releases which are intended to inextricably link the acquisition of music to the artwork and supporting video footage in an effort to create a stronger and more creative bond with fans.
Created by Spanish-Moroccan artist Anuar Khalifi , the artwork for ‘Money Christmas’ – titled “Osanta Bin Lyin” – features a man dressed as Santa Claus with dark hair and a dark beard. In an Instagram post shared to Bey’s official profile, the rapper wrote: “Whatever you thing it is …it’s not that.”
In other news, earlier this year, Bey called Drake‘s work “shopping” music and argued that it’s not hip-hop.
“Drake is pop to me, in the sense like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song… it feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping. Or shopping with an edge in certain instances… It’s likable,” the rapper shared while appearing on the fashion podcast The Cutting Room Floor.
