Mos Def and Talib Kweli

Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. (all ages) and 11 p.m. (21+) at House of Blues

The past few years have been good to these two MCs. Fighting the ever-present battle with the Puff Daddys and Fittys of the world, they were once Black Star, the champions of the old-school style — that is, beats and rhymes. Since the release of their self-titled debut, an instant classic, Mos Def has become a household name following a well-played performance in “Monster’s Ball” and another near-perfect album, Black on Both Sides. His sophomore album, The New Danger, unleashed a painful slurry of boring rap-metal, but the man maintains his image as the intellectual humorist even still. Talib Kweli dropped his own pair of quality albums, Reflection Eternal and Quality, before courting the mainstream with the lesser The Beautiful Struggle. Now they’re back together, in the land of beats and rhymes. It’s a triumphant return, to say the least. (CBN)

‘Jesus is Magic’

Nov. 11 to Nov. 18 at Ken Cinema

Sarah Silverman is hated by a lot of people. They have reason; her innocent and plainly delivered offensive comedy about Jews, AIDS, fuckin’ and the Holocaust can turn up the nose of even the hippest baby boomers around. But only one person really loves Sarah — herself. Silverman’s vanity is the topic of “Jesus is Magic,” a movie entirely about her, mixing her stand-up comedy routine with her band’s (The Silver Men) Tenacious D-styled music videos and skits. The songs are bearable, but the lyrics (I love you more than bears love honey/ I love you more than Jews love money) are occasionally brilliant in their pop delivery of off-color phrases and sentiments. The stand-up is essential Silverman, and seems primed for cult DVD viewership, though some of the best jokes are only funny for shock value, and may falter under repeated viewings. (CBN)