Rolling Stone — Christian Hoard’s “Christian Rock” pick in this week’s New Music Report is the latest album from rapper Mos Def, The Ecstatic. Mos Def has been making rap records for more than a decade, but his latest is definitely his best since 2004’s Ne... more info

411 Mania — Hip-hop star will be supporting The Ecstatic... more info

Rolling Stone — Be Kind Rewind star Mos Def announces a tour in support of his new album The Ecstatic, the Mars Volta make sure you get a healthy dose of prog this September and the lo-fi punk warrior known as Wavves impresses audiences with his ability to play guit... more info

Live Daily — Actor and hip-hop star Mos Def [ tickets ] will hit the road next month in support of his latest studio album, "The Ecstatic," which surfaced in June. The performer will kick things off Aug. 1 in Minneapolis, the first of 18 cities the trek will h... more info

Persona Sauna — NPR listeners came out of the woodwork to cast their votes for the year's best music thus far, and Animal Collective took the top spots in both Best Album and Best Song.Best Singles of 2009 (so far)1. "My Girls" Animal Collective2. "Two Weeks" Grizz... more info

Nialler9 — Two albums have been my constant this past week – Mos Def’s “gets-better-every time you-play-it” new album The Ecstatic and Major Lazer’s Guns Don’t Kill People Lazers Do (my review is here). The Major Lazer album is this summer’s party... more info

All About Jazz — The jazz festival that George Wein produced in Newport, R.I., for 54 years looked to be in trouble this year when the production company to whom he'd sold his imprimatur was rocked by the ongoing financial crisis. Instead, it only gave Wein the resol... more info

My Old Kentucky — The White Rabbits, from Brooklyn via Missouri, really impressed me with their debut LP, Fort Nightly in 2007. Fort Nightly's The Plot and Navy Wives were easily two of my favorite songs that year. With a bit more pressure on their sophomore release... more info

MTV.com News — Lily Allen, Mos Def and Kelly Clarkson make the mid-year list, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery MTV News Picks For Best Albums of the Year (So Far) Photo: MTV News The actual midway point of 2009 occurred on July 2, one week a... more info

AllHipHop — The mothers of three internationally known rap stars will lend their time and parenting tips during the Saving our Sons workshop panel event, which seeks solutions to the educational crisis facing young, African-American men.   Dr. Mahalia A. Hines... more info