Mos Def

Mos Def

Mos Def is the stage name of Dante Terrell Smith, a rapper and actor from Brooklyn, New York. He also works under the name Yasiin Bey and has used the aliases Mighty Mos Def, The Freaky Night Watchman, Boogie Man, Black Dante and Pretty Flaco. He begins performing in the mid-1990s and becomes known for socially conscious alternative hip-hop as well as for acting roles in film, television and theatre.

Music career

He starts in 1994 with the group Urban Thermo Dynamics, formed with his younger brother DCQ and younger sister Ces. The group is signed to Payday Records, releases two singles, and its debut album Manifest Destiny does not appear until 2004 through Illson Media. In 1996 he emerges as a solo artist, works with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, and releases the single “Universal Magnetic”, which becomes an underground hit.

In 1998 he forms Black Star with Talib Kweli; the duo’s album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is released on Rawkus Records with production largely by Hi-Tek. His solo debut, Black on Both Sides, follows in 1999 on Rawkus and includes songs about Brooklyn, hip-hop and racial profiling of Black men in America, including “Mr. Nigga”. He also appears on Rawkus compilation series such as The Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing.

After Rawkus folds, he and Kweli sign to Interscope/Geffen Records, which releases The New Danger in 2004. The album mixes hip-hop with blues and rock influences and includes the controversial track “The Rape Over”, a parody of Jay-Z’s “The Takeover”. In 2005 he releases “Katrina Clap”, using the instrumental from Juvenile’s “Nolia Clap” as a response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He also appears on Kanye West’s “two words” and in its video.

His later studio albums include True Magic in 2006 and The Ecstatic in 2009 on Downtown Records. The Ecstatic becomes his second highest-charting album, receives critical acclaim, earns a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album, and is named by Rolling Stone as one of the best albums of 2009. He also releases Mos Dub in 2010.

Style and themes

His music is associated with underground hip-hop, alternative rap and socially aware rap. It often refers to his Islamic faith and to his view that Black artists receive little recognition for their role in the development of rock and roll. His work is part of the late-1990s and 2000s revival of conscious hip-hop alongside artists such as Talib Kweli, Common and The Roots.

Acting and presenting

Mos Def begins his screen career in 1994 on The Cosby Mysteries. From the early 2000s he becomes known as an actor in films including Brown Sugar, Monster’s Ball, Something the Lord Made, The Woodsman, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Bobby, Dreamgirls, Be Kind Rewind and Cadillac Records. His performance as Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman wins Best Actor, Independent Movie at the Black Reel Awards, and he receives nominations for Something the Lord Made at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

He also plays Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog on Broadway, appears in skits and as a guest on Chappelle’s Show, hosts the MOBO Awards in London in 2004, and hosts Def Poetry Jam from its beginning through its sixth season.