"Definition" is the first single from

Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to: Astronomy *Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole *Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief Literature ...

's eponymously titled 1998 album (see

1998 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998. Specific locations * 1998 in British music * 1998 in Norwegian music * 1998 in South Korean music Specific genres * 1998 in classical music * 1998 in country music * ...

). It is produced by

Hi-Tek Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek (born May 5, 1976), is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom H ...

, who samples "The P Is Free" by

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

for the track's beat. In addition, the song's chorus

interpolates In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has ...

"Stop the Violence" by Boogie Down Productions. The chorus and the song's lyrics in general deal with the necessity to stop violence in hip hop. An underground hit the song still reached #60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is featured on multiples compilations such as '' Best of Decade I: 1995-2005'',

Rawkus Records Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One). Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Myer then si ...

' greatest hits album.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

writer Jason Kaufman considers it to be a "flawless" track. A

reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

of "Definition" titled "RE: DEFinition" can be found on the ''Black Star'' album. It also appears on MTV Classic's 90's Nation and Yo! Hip Hop Mix.

Track list

A-side

# "Definition" (Radio Version) # "Definition" (What We Really Said) # "Definition" (Instrumental to Your Development)

B-side

# "Twice Inna Lifetime" (Radiohead Version) # "Twice Inna Lifetime" (Streethead Version) # "Twice Inna Lifetime" (Instrumentally Yours)

Track list

A-side

B-side

Charts

References

See also