Yasiin Bey (born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper, actor, songwriter, record producer, and activist.Best known for his music, Mos Def began his hip hop career in 1994, alongside his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD), after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul.He subsequently formed the duo Black Star, alongside fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli, and they released their eponymous debut album in 1998.He was featured on the roster of Rawkus Records and in 1999 released his solo debut, Black on Both Sides.His debut was followed by The New Danger (2004), True Magic (2006) and The Ecstatic (2009).The editors at About.com listed him as the 14th greatest emcee of all time on their "50 greatest MC's of our time" list. Prior to his career in music, Mos Def entered public life as a child actor, having played roles in television films, sitcoms, and theater.Since the early 2000s, Mos Def has appeared in films such as Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, The Woodsman, Bamboozled and Brown Sugar, as well as for his portrayal of Brother Sam in the Showtime drama series Dexter.He is also known as the host of Def Poetry Jam, which aired on HBO between 2002 and 2007. Mos Def has been vocal on several social and political causes, including police brutality, the idea of American exceptionalism, and the state of African-Americans.
Mos Def began rapping at age nine and began professionally acting at age 14, when he appeared in a TV movie. After high school, he began acting in a variety of television roles, most notably appearing in 1994 on a short-lived Bill Cosby series, The Cosby Mysteries. In 1994, Mos Def formed the rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics with his younger brother and sister, and signed a recording deal with Payday Records that didn't amount to much. In 1996, he began his solo career. in 1997, Mos Def released his debut single, "Universal Magnetic," on Royalty Records, and it became an underground rap hit. A year later came Mos Def's solo album, Black on Both Sides, and it inspired further attention and praise. During the early 2000s, Mos Def acted in several films. After that, Def released his third solo album, True Magic (2006). "Undeniable," did manage to grab a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance. The Ecstatic followed in June 2009 and nabbed another Grammy nomination. In January 2016, he made an announcement through Kanye West's website; after he disputed a recent arrest in South Africa for breaking an immigration law, he declared his retirement from the entertainment industry and the forthcoming release of his final album, due later in the year.
Pistola - The Ecstatic
Ms. Fat Booty - Black On Both Sides
Mathematics - Black On Both Sides
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