Give it up for Black Star!

Ahead of their Saturday Night Live performance this weekend with host Dave Chappelle, Black Star releases the visuals behind “So Be It”.

The black-and-white clip features recent footage of Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli rocking a sold-out show and vibing out to the Madlib-produced track backstage.

“Get lost, big boss, this boss’ll boss you / Chip on your shoulder, I’ma knock it right off you,” threatens Bey, while Kweli keeps it politics as usual. “My songs is knowledge to heroes that need honoring / A promise we demolishing all Confederate monuments / I’m noticing how these Nazis become Congressmen,” raps Talib.

“So Be It” was one of the first songs Black Star recorded with Madlib for No Fear Of Time so it definitely set the tone of the project early on,” reads the description on Youtube. “The song is a lyrical exercise, bars on bars, but we are not rhyming for the sake of riddling as the great Chuck D might say. This song is a call to action. It’s a prayer. It’s a manifesto.”

“The visuals that accompany it are simple, but strong. Our value is in our performance and how we connect with our audience. We wanted to provide a visual that showcases that for the core fans. I’m a fan of comedy and I grew up on SNL so this is a career milestone for sure. I can’t recall seeing a more hip-hop, a more independent group than Black Star to ever do SNL, so I’m definitely excited to represent for the culture.”

“So Be It” is off Black Star’s No Fear Of Time album which was released in May. It marked their first project together after nearly 24 years and it is available exclusively to subscribers on Luminary here.