Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is an album-length collaboration of emcees Talib Kweli and Mos Def, it was released on August 26, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City, as the two artists know it.