True Magic

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title: "True Magic" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2006-albums", "mos-def-albums", "geffen-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-rich-harrison", "albums-produced-by-the-neptunes", "albums-produced-by-dj-khalil"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Magic" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameTrue Magic
typeAlbum
artistMos Def
coverTru3magic.jpg
releasedDecember 29, 2006
genreAlternative hip-hop
length52:37
labelGeffen
producer
prev_titleThe New Danger
prev_year2004
next_titleThe Ecstatic
next_year2009
::

| name = True Magic | type = Album | artist = Mos Def | cover = Tru3magic.jpg | alt = | released = December 29, 2006 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Alternative hip-hop | length = 52:37 | label = Geffen | producer = | prev_title = The New Danger | prev_year = 2004 | next_title = The Ecstatic | next_year = 2009 True Magic is the third studio album by American rapper Mos Def, released on December 29, 2006, by Geffen Records. After Geffen had absorbed Mos Def's former label Rawkus, the album was released haphazardly to fulfill a contractual obligation; its physical release lacked a booklet, cover art, lyrics, or credits.

Following an internet leak, True Magic was released to mostly mixed reviews from critics, and has sold over 97,000 copies by 2014.

Background

True Magic was released to fulfill Mos Def's contract with Geffen Records. It featured production from The Neptunes, Rich Harrison and Minnesota, among others. The song "Crime & Medicine" samples GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", while the song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".

Release and reception

|MC = 45/100 |rev1 = About.com |rev1score = |rev2 = AllMusic |rev2score = |rev3 = Boston Herald |rev3Score = A− |rev4 = Entertainment Weekly |rev4Score = C+ |rev5 = HipHopDX |rev5score = 3/5 |rev6 = Now |rev6score = 4/5 |rev7 = Pitchfork Media |rev7score = 4.5/10 |rev8 = Stylus Magazine |rev8score = D |rev9 = Tiny Mix Tapes |rev9score = |rev10 = Winnipeg Sun |rev10Score = Following an online leak of the album, True Magic was released by Geffen in a clear plastic case without a booklet, cover art, lyrics, or credits. Geffen re-released it several months later with complete artwork and a slightly altered track order.

True Magic received generally mixed reviews from critics; it holds an aggregate score of 45 out of 100 at Metacritic. AllMusic's Andy Kellman called it "a disappointment" with "just enough quality material ('Dollar Day,' 'Fake Bonanza,' 'There Is a Way') to make the average fan not want to wipe the whole thing from memory, but the flashes of brilliance are all too scarce." New York Times critic Nate Chinen said the music sounded as if it had been produced "on the cheap" and that some songs carried "urgent messages upfront, but not much depth within". Mos Def "may deliver tantalizing flashes of lyrical skill, but he doesn't inspire much feeling other than listless dread", Chinen wrote. Michael Furman from Tiny Mix Tapes was more enthusiastic about the album, writing that "it's not a happy record, and there are few, if any, genius rhymes. But it speaks volumes about the frustration and resignation of the underprivileged." Its single, "Undeniable", was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. By March 2014, True Magic had sold 97,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = True Magic | extra1 = | length1 = 2:51 | title2 = Undeniable | extra2 = Rich Harrison | length2 = 4:16 | title3 = U R the One | extra3 = Minnesota | length3 = 3:58 | title4 = Thug Is a Drug | extra4 = Minnesota | length4 = 2:52 | title5 = Crime & Medicine | extra5 = Mos Def | length5 = 3:08 | title6 = A Ha | extra6 = Minnesota | length6 = 2:35 | title7 = Dollar Day | extra7 = DJ Khalil | length7 = 5:14 | title8 = Napoleon Dynamite | extra8 = Preservation | length8 = 2:01 | title9 = There Is a Way | extra9 = Preservation | length9 = 3:27 | title10 = Sun, Moon, Stars | extra10 = Preservation | length10 = 4:39 | title11 = Murder of a Teenage Life | extra11 = The Neptunes | length11 = 3:25 | title12 = Fake Bonanza | extra12 = Preservation | length12 = 4:11 | title13 = Perfect Timing | extra13 = Mos Def | length13 = 4:14 | title14 = Lifetime | extra14 = Preservation | length14 = 5:47

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (2006) | Peak position | |---|---| | US Billboard 200 | 77 | | title=Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|url=|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=June 18, 2012}} | 25 | | title=Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Rap Albums|url=|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=June 18, 2012}} | 12 | ::

References

References

  1. S. Samuel. (January 13, 2009). "Mos Def Reveals New Album Details, Bringing Back Def Poetry". [[SOHH]].
  2. [http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/album_review/87024.php Mos Def - Tru3 Magic - Hip-Hop Album Review] {{Webarchive. link. (2009-01-12)
  3. "True Magic [First Version] by Mos Def".
  4. Rott, Ivan. [http://rap.about.com/od/reviews/fr/MosDefTru3Magic.htm "Mos Def - True Magic (Geffen)"]. [[About.com]]. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  5. Kellman, Andy. [{{AllMusic
  6. Carter, Lauren. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121102034212/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-156908731.html WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT (Arts and Lifestyle)]". ''[[Boston Herald]]'': January 6, 2007.
  7. Dombal, Ryan (2007-01-19). [https://ew.com/article/2007/01/12/true-magic/ "True Magic Review"]. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  8. [http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.736/title.mos-def-tru3-magic HipHopDX review]
  9. NOW]]''. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  10. Fennessey, Sean (2007-01-04). [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9738-true-magic/ "Mos Def: True Magic"]. [[Pitchfork Media]]. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  11. Schwartz, Barry (2007-01-09). [http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/mos-def/true-magic.htm "Mos Def - True Magic - Review"]. [[Stylus Magazine]]. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  12. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160310082543/http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/M/Mos_Def/AlbumReviews/2007/01/05/3176600-winsun.html Winnipeg Sun review]
  13. Furman, Michael. (2007). "Mos Def - Tru3 Magic". [[Tiny Mix Tapes]].
  14. Benbow, Julian (2007-01-10). [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/01/10/mos_def_reappears_with_true_magic/ "Mos Def reappears with 'True Magic'"]. ''[[The Boston Globe]]''. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  15. Sterdan, Darryl (2001-01-05). {{usurped
  16. [http://www.metacritic.com/music/true-magic-first-version/mos-def/critic-reviews "Critic Reviews for True Magic (First Version)"]. [[Metacritic]]. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  17. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E1DA1530F93BA35752C0A9619C8B63 New York Times review]
  18. Baker, Soren. (March 7, 2014). "50 Cent Leaves Interscope: How Nas, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah & Mos Def Fared After Leaving Their Longtime Label Homes". [[HipHopDX]].
  19. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". [[Prometheus Global Media]].
  20. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". [[Prometheus Global Media]].
  21. "Mos Def Album & Song Chart History: Rap Albums". [[Prometheus Global Media]].

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2006-albumsmos-def-albumsgeffen-records-albumsalbums-produced-by-rich-harrisonalbums-produced-by-the-neptunesalbums-produced-by-dj-khalil