Yasiin Bey Flexes His Vocals on “Dec 99th (N.A.W.)”

Yasiin Bey has been going through some things in 2016. With his final album set to drop later this year, the artist formerly known as Mos Def drops his first song in months, "Dec 99th (N.A.W.)."

With Bey recently announcing he will bow out of the game, this could be the first single off his farewell LP. And from the sound of things, he is on a new wave. Produced by Ferrari Sheppard at D Planet Studios in Cape Town, South Africa, the song finds Bey singing (not rapping) over organ-driven production. He makes it clear that N.A.W. stands for "needs and wants" as he croons with haunting vocals about the topic of a female getting hers.

Shortly after the new year, Bey was arrested in South Africa for using a false passport. The Brooklyn rapper has been living in Cape Town since May of 2013. He was later charged with breaking S. Africa's immigration laws including using a false identity, using an unrecognized travel document and helping his family stay in the country illegally.

The Black Star member was originally set to go to court in March, but the date has since been pushed back to May 12. In the mean time, he is stuck in the country and recently had to cancel some shows in Scandinavia.

During all the legal trouble, Mos announced he would retire from rap after dropping one final LP in 2016. Is it almost time to bid farewell to Mos? We most definitely hope not.

Listen to "Dec 99th (N.A.W.)," above.

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