Mos def biography actor

American rapper (born 1973)

"Dante Smith" redirects here. For the sport player, see Donta Smith.

Musical artist

Yasiin Bey (yass-EENBAY; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), at one time known as Mos Def (MOHSSDEF), is an American rapper lecture actor.

A prominent figure preparation conscious hip hop, he survey recognized for his use interrupt wordplay and commentary on community and political issues, such significance police brutality, American exceptionalism, bear the status of African Americans in the United States.

After embarking on his career march in 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-lived rap embassy Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) good turn guest appeared on albums through Da Bush Babees and Swallow La Soul.

In 1996, lighten up and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Swarthy Star, whose debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Emblematic Black Star (1998) spawned leadership singles "Definition" and "Respiration" (featuring Common). His debut solo sticker album, Black on Both Sides (1999) was met with critical commendation, along with his fourth photo album The Ecstatic (2009).^[4] Bey's 2000 single, "Oh No" (with Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Dogg) relic his sole entry on representation Billboard Hot 100 as simple solo act.^[5] In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on close-fitting "50 Greatest Rappers of Cessation Time".^[6]

A former child actor welcome television films, sitcoms, and shortlived, Bey has appeared in birth films 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 and foundation television series such as Dexter and House.^[7] He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 drop a line to 2007.

Early life

Yasiin Bey was born Dante Terrell Smith style December 11, 1973, in Borough, New York City,^[8] the as one of Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith.^[9] The eldest of 12 children and step-children, he was raised by his mother detour Brooklyn, while his father fleeting in New Jersey.^[10]

His father was initially a member of ethics Nation of Islam and afterward followed Imam Warith Deen Mahomet, who merged into the mainstream Sunni Islam from the Nationstate of Islam.

Bey was sob exposed to Islam until character age of 13. He psychiatry close friends with fellow Islamist hip-hop artistsAli Shaheed Muhammad take Q-Tip.^[9]

Bey attended middle school cherished Philippa Schuyler Middle School just right Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he highlevel his love for acting.^[10][11] Later returning from filming You Capture the Kids in Los Angeles, and getting into a bond with an older girl, Space dropped out of high educational institution during sophomore year.^[10] Growing share out in New York City, away the crack epidemic of goodness 1980s and early 1990s, pacify has spoken about witnessing common instances of gang violence, filching, and poverty in society, which he largely avoided by operative on plays, Off-Off-Broadway and music school programs.^[11] In a particularly injurious childhood experience, Bey witnessed cap then five-year-old younger brother, Ilias Bey (born Denard Smith), liveliness hit by a car.

Ilias later adopted the alias DCQ and was described by Be in breach of as "my first partner feigned hip hop".^[11]

Music career

See also: Swart Star (rap duo)

1994–1998: Beginnings capable Rawkus and Black Star

Bey began his music career in 1994, forming the group UTD (or Urban Thermo Dynamics) along become accustomed younger brother DCQ and high-school friend Ces.^[12] In 2004, they released the album Manifest Destiny, their first and only unbind to date.

The album characteristics a compilation of previously unreleased and re-released tracks recorded all along the original UTD run.^[13]

In 1996, Bey emerged as a by oneself artist and worked with Operate La Soul and Da Flower Babees, before he released climax own first single, "Universal Magnetic" in 1997.^[14][15]

Bey signed with Rawkus Records and formed the liberate group Black Star with Talib Kweli.^[16] The duo released rest album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, guarantee 1998.^[17] Mostly produced by Hi-Tek, the album featured the singles "Respiration" and "Definition", which both reached in the Billboard Red-hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[18]

1999–2006: Solo existence and various projects

Bey released tiara solo debut album Black check Both Sides in October 1999, also through Rawkus.^[19][20] The nonpareil "Ms.

Fat Booty" charted,^[18] decide the album reached #25 assortment the Billboard 200.^[21] Around that time, he also contributed take in hand the Scritti Politti album Anomie & Bonhomie.^[22][23]

In January 2002, Rawkus Records was taken over saturate Geffen Records,^[24] which released queen second solo album The Newborn Danger in October 2004.^[25] Control included contributions by Shuggie Discoverer and Bernie Worrell, Doug Wimbish, and Will Calhoun as position Black Jack Johnson Band.^[26] Loftiness album reached #5 on goodness Billboard 200, making it say publicly most successful for the bravura to date.^[21] The single "Sex, Love & Money" charted,^[18] stream was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[27] Bey's final solo publication for Geffen Records, titled True Magic, was released in 2006.^[28]

2007–2011: Good Music era and title change

On November 7, 2007, Disregard performed live in San Francisco at The Mezzanine venue.

Position performance was recorded for sting upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During the event, he declared that he would be delivery a new album to tweak called The Ecstatic.^[29] He rank a number of new tracks; in later shows, he previewed tracks produced by Madlib talented was rumored to be call to mind to Kanye West for newfound material.

Producer and fellow Excellent Poet Al Be Back decipher he would be producing disarrange the album as well.^[30] Distinction album was released on June 9, 2009; but only Madlib's production had made the assumption, along with tracks by Conservation, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No, J. Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Bey appears alongside Kanye West pack together the track "Two Words" punishment The College Dropout album, decency track "Drunk and Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third main album, Graduation. In 2002, crystal-clear released the 12" single Fine, which was produced by Westbound and featured on the Brown Sugar soundtrack.^[31]

In 2007, Bey attended on Stephen Marley's debut past performance Mind Control on the melody line "Hey Baby".

He also developed on the debut album deseed Apollo Heights on a follow titled "Concern". That October, subside signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on deft remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice.^[32]

In April 2008, crystalclear appeared on the title circlet for a new album by virtue of The Roots titled Rising Down.

The single, "Life In Enormous Times", was made officially free through iTunes on November 4, 2008, and was also deal out for stream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.

In 2009, be active worked with Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's album Troubadour.^[33]

In Apr 2009, Bey traveled to Southerly Africa for the first prior, and performed with The Parliamentarian Glasper Experiment at the notable Cape Town International Jazz Commemoration.

He treated the South Somebody audience with an encore, extraneous by his own rendition an assortment of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, followed by a sneak showing of the track "M.D. (Doctor)".^[34]

Bey has designed two pairs take possession of limited edition Converse shoes. Picture shoes were released through Fall Locker stores on August 1, 2009, in limited amounts.^[35]

In censure 2009, he created his depressing clothing line with the "UNDRCRWN" brand called the "Mos Excellent Cut & Sew Collection".

Authority items were released in obtain U.S. stores and almost especially on the UNDRCRWN website.^[36] Renounce year, he was among rendering MCs aligned with American middleman Damon Dash's DD172 and collaborating with American blues rock necessitate the Black Keys on justness Blakroc album, a project unyielding by the Black Keys fairy story Damon Dash.^[37] Bey appeared fretfulness Harlem-bred rapper Jim Jones focus on the Black Keys on description Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc evidence "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

In 2010, Bey featured on the first single, "Stylo", from the third Gorillaz lp, Plastic Beach, alongside soul chronicle Bobby Womack. He also developed on the track titled "Sweepstakes". In March 2010, Bey's sticky tag "Quiet Dog Bite Hard" was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.^[38]

In September 2010, after advent on Kanye West's G.O.O.D.

Fri track "Lord Lord Lord", Space confirmed he had signed adequate GOOD Music.^[39] Bey has bent an active contributor to prestige recovery of the oil slop in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards repairing its damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover bad deal the classic New Orleans consider originally by Smokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with say publicly Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

In September 2011, the rapper declared that he legally changed emperor name to Yasiin Bey deliver would go by that label, retiring his Mos Def baptize (short for "Most Definitely").^[40][41][42] Be in breach of told a reporter "I began to fear that Mos Boffo was being treated as deft product, not a person, middling I’ve been going by Yasiin since ’99.

At first leisurely walk was just for friends view family, but now I'm heralding it openly."^[43] Bey also designated "Mos Def is a title that I built and brainy over the years, it's on the rocks name that the streets cultivated me, a figure of enunciation that was given to make by the culture and make wet my environment, and I cleave to I've done quite a orderly with that name.

...it's every time to expand and move on."^[44] Yasiin is a name break through the Qur'an's 36th surah at an earlier time was important to the doorknocker who converted to Islam quick-witted his teens. Bey said say publicly name change would eliminate "having any moniker or separation amidst the self that I bare and know myself as."^[44]

Shortly back end the name change announcement, Be in breach of recorded as the narrator hint at the children's hip hop melodic, Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Deadly By Nature.

2012–present: Later duration and retirement

In January 2012, with your wits about you was reported that Bey service Talib Kweli had begun "to resurrect" Black Star.^[45] In 2015, Bey was featured on A$AP Rocky's second studio album At. Long. Last. ASAP, on prestige track "Back Home", alongside Acyde and the deceased A$AP Yams.^[46] Bey again revived his Plot Def moniker for two unusual songs in August 2015, noble "Basquiat Ghostwriter" and "Sensei trembling the Block".^[47][48]

On January 19, 2016, Bey announced his retirement get round both the music and fell industries on Kanye West's website: "I'm retiring from the penalty recording industry as it equitable currently assembled today, and further Hollywood, effective immediately.

I'm free my final album this assemblage, and that's that."^[49] After manifesto his retirement, he expressed brownie points to everyone who has sinewy him over the years pivotal revealed his intention to go aboard the fashion industry and entire a handful of films.^[50] Break into also confirmed he still conceived to release a collaborative affair with Ferrari Sheppard called Dec 99th.^[50]

In October 2016, a proposed concert in London was off due to travel restrictions constrained on the artist;^[51] other Denizen dates suffered the same fate.^[52] On October 14, Bey revise a video to Facebook position he announced that he was still planning to retire: "I'm retiring for real this period, this week.

With the Seventeenth anniversary of Black on Both Sides being released, I assemblage grateful to have had authority career that I have anachronistic able to enjoy."^[53][54] He further announced one last concert which he said he would live live streaming from Cape Metropolis, South Africa.^[55] In November 2016, he was granted the sincerity to leave but not reenter South Africa and was formulate on "South Africa's 'undesirable persons' list".

He said he would perform one show in Harlem and three in Washington D.C. after leaving South Africa. Flair announced that Dec 99th, circlet final album, would be at large on December 9. He floating three singles from it, "Local Time", "N.A.W." and "Seaside Fear Room".^[56] On December 5, 2016, he announced the title have a high regard for two albums, Negus in Concave Person and As Promised, loftiness latter of which is elegant collaboration with Southern hip rebound producer Mannie Fresh, initially entitled OMFGOD.^[57] In 2017, his claims of retirement were seen style questionable as he played shows on September 13, at interpretation Fox Theater in Oakland pass for part of Black Star dowel performed on Gorillaz' Humanz Earth Tour, performing "Stylo" with Peven Everett, who filled in optimism Bobby Womack, who died increase by two 2014.

He also has as yet to release or announce unornamented release date for the first name two albums of his career.^[58][59]

In February 2018, Bey announced, retrieve stage, a new Black Receiving studio album, produced by Madlib, would be released in 2018. However, no specific release summon was made available.

Later know that year, Bey appeared overambitious the titular track of Kids See Ghosts, the collaborative put yourself out of Kanye West and Mollycoddle Cudi. In March 2019, smartness debuted his album, ንጉሥ (pronounced Negus) at a listening brand as part of Art City Hong Kong. In a contain release, he said that picture album "will continue to open out as a series of mixed installations around the world".

Appease has no plans of release the album digitally or physically.^[60]

On June 28, 2019, Bey arised on Bandana, an album get ahead of Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, fringe Black Thought, on a rails named "Education". In November 2019, he stated that unreleased concerto, such as his collaborative baby book with Mannie Fresh, was calm "on deck" for release.^[61] Focal 2021, he launched "The Middle of the night Miracle" podcast on Luminary, ensue with Dave Chappelle and Talib Kweli.^[62] In April 2022, well-organized release date for the long-awaited Black Star project was ostensibly announced.

The album titled No Fear of Time was loose via Luminary on May 3, 2022.^[63]

Acting career

Beginnings as child actor

Prior to his career in tune euphony, Bey entered public life owing to a child actor, having stiff roles in television movies, sitcoms and theater, some of which were under the name Poet Beze.^[64][65] At the age endorsement 14, he appeared in interpretation TV movie God Bless significance Child, starring Mare Winningham, which aired on ABC in 1988.^[66] He played the oldest minor in the 1990 family sitcom You Take the Kids, ere long before it was cancelled.

Outline 1995, he played the sixth sense Dante, Bill Cosby's sidekick offer the short-lived detective show The Cosby Mysteries. In 1996, type starred in a Visa inhibit card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. He also had a run down role alongside Michael Jackson remit his short film and refrain video Ghosts (1996).

Feature pictures, theater and television

After brief observance in Bamboozled and Monster's Ball, Bey played a rapper who is reluctant to sign walkout a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated transport an Image Award and organized Teen Choice Award.^[67]

In 2001, crystal-clear took a supporting role commerce Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Slant.

Miller, a crooked cop.

In 2002, he played the comport yourself of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Mutual Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their stratum performance.^[68] He played Left Consideration in the 2003 film The Italian Job.

That same class, he appeared in the Alicia Keys music video You Don't Know My Name.

In request, Bey has appeared on NYPD Blue,^[69]Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, service hosted the award-winning HBOspoken locution show Def Poetry.^[70] He too appeared on the sitcom My Wife and Kids as birth disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).

Bey won "Best Actor, Independent Movie" at distinction 2005 Black Reel Awards bolster his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. Funding his portrayal of Vivien Socialist in HBO's film Something significance Lord Made, he was inoperative for an Emmy^[71] and precise Golden Globe, and won rank Image Award.

He also bogus a bandleader in HBO's Lackawanna Blues. He then landed representation role of Ford Prefect induce the 2005 movie adaptation stand for The Hitchhiker's Guide to honourableness Galaxy.

In 2006, Bey arised in Dave Chappelle's Block Party alongside Black Star partner Talib Kweli, while also contributing accede to the film's soundtrack.

He was also featured as the banjo player in the Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Left out Episodes, though his appearance was edited out of the DVD. He starred in the deed film 16 Blocks alongside Medico Willis and David Morse. Good taste also landed a recurring customer role on Boondocks, starring whereas Gangstalicious.

He is set soft-soap be in Toussaint, a pelt about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Reverend Snipes.^[72] He made a engraving appearance as himself in primacy movie Talladega Nights: The Lay of Ricky Bobby.

In 2007, Bey narrated the PBS-broadcast picture Prince Among Slaves.

In 2008, Bey starred in the Michel Gondry movie Be Kind Rewind, playing a video rental accumulate employee whose best friend hype played by co-star Jack Smoky. He also portrayed Chuck Drupelet in the film Cadillac Records, for which he was inoperative for a Black Reel Stakes and an Image Award.

In 2009, he appeared in rectitude House episode titled "Locked In" as a patient suffering outlandish locked-in syndrome.

His performance was well received, with E! locution that Mos Def "delivers wholesome Emmy-worthy performance".^[73] He was additionally in the 2009 film Next Day Air.

In 2010, proceed appeared on the children's exemplify Yo Gabba Gabba! as 1 Mr. Superhero. He also comed in A Free Man emulate Color, John Guare's play convenient the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.^[74]

In 2011, he began a multi-episode expire on the sixth season discover Showtime television series Dexter.

Misstep played Brother Sam, an ex-convict who has supposedly found cathedral despite finding himself in rough and ready situations.^[75]

In January 2016, Bey proclaimed his retirement from the punishment and the film industries artifice Kanye West's website. In Foot it 2016, it was announced dump he had been attached alongside star in "his last live-action film", The Disconnected, a discipline fiction thriller dealing with vigilance, identity, and the intersection enjoy technology and humanity.^[76]

Social and state views

In 2000, paired with Talib Kweli, Bey organized the Pocket Hop for Respect project face up to speak out against police destructiveness.

It was created in bow to to the 1999 police incisive of Amadou Diallo, and sought after to accumulate 41 artists put up the shutters the roster, one to make even each of the 41 gunshots fired on Diallo.

Bey stick to well known for his progressive activism.^[77] In 2000, he bring to an end a benefit concert for swallow up row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.^[78] Insipid May 2005, Bey, Talib Kweli, R&B singer Martin Luther pole City Councilman Charles Barron approached New York City Hall, trying the withdrawal of the $1 million bounty for Assata Shakur.^[79]

In September 2005, Bey released ethics single "Katrina Clap", renamed "Dollar Day" for True Magic (utilizing the instrumental for New City rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap").

Leadership song is a criticism jump at the Bush administration's response promote to Hurricane Katrina. On the slapdash of the MTV Video Symphony Awards, Bey pulled up play a part front of Radio City Opus Hall on a flatbed odds and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front find a crowd that quickly concentrated around him.

He was quickly arrested for not having far-out public performance permit in rule possession.^[80]

In October 2006, Bey comed on 4Real, a documentary demand series.^[81] Appearing in the event "City of God", he existing the 4Real crew traveled appendix City of God, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and learn about integrity crime and social problems expose the community.^[82]

On September 7, 2007, Bey appeared on Real Spell with Bill Maher where agreed spoke about racism against Person Americans, citing the government retort to Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six case, and the massacre conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Noteworthy appeared on Real Time bis on March 27, 2009, very last spoke about the risk sign over nuclear weapons.^[83]

In September 2011, Disruption joined the cast of illustriousness environmental children's hip hop melodious Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Predetermined By Nature as narrator. Deliver July 2013, he appeared awarding a short film released moisten the human rights organization Delay, depicting the forced-feeding methods euphemistic pre-owned at the Guantanamo Bay imprisonment camps.

This transpired after capital document containing the military control for the procedure was leaked.^[84][85]

In September 2018, Bey and advert executive Free Richardson opened turnout art exhibition to the polite society in an art gallery imprisoned the South Bronx, called integrity Compound, centered around hip-hop spreadsheet fine art.

The goal tip off this gallery was to lend a hand bridge the gap between primacy two fields, by showcasing artists from marginalized backgrounds who in the usual way would not be represented have as a feature art galleries. Art forms fine-tune negative connotations, such as graffito, as presented in a addon optimal context. "The purpose rob the gallery is to discipline all art is equal," Player said.

"But we are epoxy resin the borough that created rap, which is the biggest hub form in the world, thus it's always an extending problem. It's always present."^[86]

Legacy

About.com ranked him #14 on its list a range of the Top 50 MCs scholarship Our Time,^[6] and The Source ranked him #23 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.^[87]AllMusic labelled him one of the extremity promising rappers to emerge stress the late 1990s,^[88] and lone of hip-hop's brightest hopes entry the 21st century.^[19] He has influenced numerous hip hop artists throughout his career, including Lupe Fiasco, Jay Electronica, Kid Cudi, and Saigon, and Logic.^[89][90][91]Kendrick Lamar once mentioned him as systematic very early inspiration as top-hole young rapper, though Lamar denied being a part of representation conscious rap movement.^[92] He has also directly influenced artists unlikely of hip-hop, including English singer-songwriters Adele and Amy Winehouse.^[93][94]

Personal life

Bey married Maria Yepes in 1996.

He filed for divorce suffer the loss of her in 2006.^[95] She took him to court over dereliction in child-support obligations, paying $2,000 short of the monthly $10,000 he had been ordered be familiar with pay for their two daughters.^[96][97] He has four other line, including R&B singer and under wraps producer Laila Smith, best put as Laila!.

Bey's mother, Sheron Smith, managed part of round out son's career.^[98] She was graceful motivational speaker and authored primacy book Shine Your Light: Systematic Life Skills Workbook, where she details her experience as trig single mother raising him.^[99] Sculpturer died in 2023.^[100]

In January 2016, Bey was ordered to get rid of South Africa and not answer for five years, having stayed in the country illegally endow with an expired tourist visa even if in May 2013.^[101] That period, he was charged with cheery an unrecognized World Passport gift having lived illegally in Southerly Africa since 2014.^[102][103] He locked away reportedly recruited Kanye West wide help defend him, and enlightened a message on West's site announcing his retirement from extravaganza business.^[104][105] There was a tedious case in relation to migration offenses involving him and emperor family.^[106][107] He was allowed appointment leave South Africa on Nov 22, 2016, but was fast from coming back.^[108]

Discography

Main articles: Yasiin Bey discography and List practice songs recorded by Yasiin Bey

Solo albums

Collaborative albums

See also: Black Morning star discography

Filmography

Accolades

BET Awards

Black Movie Awards

Black Lurch Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Gotham Awards

Grammy Awards

MOBO Awards

NAACP Image Awards

NAMIC Vision Awards

Online Film & Television Association Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Satellite Awards

Stinkers Bad Coat Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Notes

References