In the late ’90s, Mos Def delivered unto hip-hop a pair of righteous albums crackling with poetic imagery and propulsive wit. But following the release of the Black Star album, his collaboration with fellow conscious-rap preacher-man Talib Kweli, and his solo debut Black on Both Sides, the self-anointed “Mighty” Mos Def lost his way. Blame Hollywood. Although he’d previously left acting to pursue his music, the Faustian whisper of casting directors lured him back to the screen. And, as result, the Brooklyn-native’s second disc, The New Danger, suffered from his divided attention with its misfired blues applications. His third effort, True Magic, hit the streets like a corpse. However, judging by the epic, back-to-basics production of “Life in Marvelous Times,” the first single from his upcoming The Ecstatic, Mos may be able to return the “mighty” to his bruised and battered name. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., 467-5510, www.themoore.com. $35-$38. 8 p.m. KEVIN CAPP

Sat., Dec. 13, 8 p.m., 2008