4/10

The rapper former known as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey, has certainly had an interesting 12 months. After being forced to remain in the South Africa for much of 2016, due to immigration violations, the MC was finally released at the end of last year. But rather than spend his time twiddling his thumbs, we soon released that he had spent his purgatorious time recording a new album. A record that is allegedly supposed to be his last.

And while the album was met with huge delays, we have finally been treated to the rapper's curtain call. Yet despite its clear intentions of being a powerful and moving piece surrounding his recent incarceration, 'December 99th' seems to fall short of being anything interesting. While it does have its sporadic moments, the album fails to really bring anything original to the forefront and seems to portray the frontman as a not so charismatic individual with a less than appealing disposition.

It gives the impression of an album recorded on a whim, with mixture of lacklustre vocals and uninspired production. While it is a shame that Yasiin Bey is ending his illustrious career with this, it certainly gives the impression that he has lost passion in his art.