When Mos Def emerged on to the scene in the mid 90's hip hop was in a divided state between mainstream bling led by Bad Boy, Cash Money, No Limit et al, and the then ultra credible Rawkus Records at the forefront of the underground’s proud independence. With Mos’s style bridging a gap somewhere between fellow BK resident Jay-Z and Philly’s Black Thought, his and Black Star partner Talib Kweli's critical and commercial success undoubtedly helped blur the lines between the two scenes, and together with Common arguably opened the doors for a certain Mr West to come through and explode.