Dante Terrell Smith

born on 11/12/1973 in New York City, NY, United States

Alias Mos Def

Mos Def

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Mos Def

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), better known by the stage names Mos Def /mos df/ and Yasiin Bey /jæsin be/, is an American actor and hip hop recording artist from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album Black Star in 1998. He was a major force in late 1990s underground hip hop while with Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums Black on Both Sides in 1999, The New Danger in 2004, True Magic in 2006, and The Ecstatic in 2009.[1]

Since the early 2000s, Mos Def has become an actor with roles in films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, and his portrayal of Brother Sam in the American drama series Dexter. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political causes.

Early life

He was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Sheron Smith and Abdul Rahman.[2] He was raised by his mother in Brooklyn; his father lived in New Jersey. While his father was initially a member of the Nation of Islam and later an active member in the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who merged into mainstream Sunni Islam from the Nation, Mos Def was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13. At 19, he took his shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith. He is friends with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.[2]

Career

Music

In 1996, Mos Def emerged as a solo artist and worked with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic".

Mos Def signed with Rawkus Records and formed the group Black Star with Talib Kweli. They released an album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star, in 1998.[3] Mostly produced by Hi-Tek, the album featured the hit singles, "Respiration" and "Definition", which would go on to be featured in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop.[4] Mos Def released his solo debut album Black on Both Sides in 1999, also through Rawkus.[5] Around this time he also contributed to the Scritti Politti album Anomie & Bonhomie and Rawkus compilations Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing.

After the collapse of Rawkus, he signed to Interscope/Geffen Records, which released his second solo album The New Danger in 2004.[6] The New Danger contained a mix of several musical genres, including soul, blues, and rock and roll, performed with his rock band Black Jack Johnson, which included members of the bands Bad Brains and Living Colour. The singles included "Sex, Love & Money" and the B-side "Ghetto Rock"; the latter went on to receive several Grammy Award nominations in 2004.

Mos Def's final solo album for Geffen Records, True Magic, was released in 2006.

The song "Crime & Medicine" is essentially a cover of GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", though it contains different verses. Also, the track "Undeniable" samples a version of the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield composition "Message from a Black Man". The song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".[7]

On November 7, 2007, Mos Def performed live in San Francisco at a venue called The Mezzanine. This performance was recorded for an upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During this performance Mos Def announced that he would be releasing a new album to be called The Ecstatic. He sang a number of new tracks; in later shows, Def previewed tracks produced by Madlib and was rumored to be going to Kanye West for new material. Producer and fellow Def Poet Al Be Back stated that he would be producing as well.[8] The album was released on June 9, 2009; upon its release, only Madlib's production had made the cut, along with tracks by Preservation, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No, a song by J. Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Mos Def appears alongside Kanye West on the track "Two Words" from The College Dropout album, the track "Drunk And Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third major album, Graduation. In 2002, he released the 12" single Fine, which was featured in the Brown Sugar Motion Picture Soundtrack.[9]

Mos Def also appears on the debut album from fellow New Yorkers Apollo Heights on a track titled, "Concern." In October, he signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on a remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice.[10] Mos Def appeared on Stephen Marley's debut album Mind Control on the song "Hey Baby." In 2009, Mos Def worked together with Somali rapper K'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's album Troubadour.[11]

In April 2008 he appeared on the title track for a new album by The Roots entitled Rising Down. The new single, Life In Marvelous Times, was made officially available through iTunes on November 4, 2008, and is available for stream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.

April 2009 saw him traveling to South Africa for the first time where he performed accompanied by The Robert Glasper Experiment at the renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He enticed his bemused African following with an encore introduced by his own rendition of John Coltrane's "Love Supreme" followed by a sneak preview of the track "M.D. (Doctor)", much to the delight of the fans.[12]

Mos Def also designed two pairs of limited edition Converse shoes. The shoes were released to Foot Locker stores on August 1, 2009 in very limited amounts.[13]

In late 2009, Mos Def created a brand of clothing line with UNDRCRWN called the "Mos Def Cut & Sew Collection." All clothing items will be sold in select stores located around the U.S. and almost exclusively on the UNDRCRWN website.[14] 2009 also found Mos Def among the MCs collaborating with the Black Keys on the first Blakroc album, a project headed by the Black Keys and Damon Dash. Mos Def appeared with Jim Jones and the Black Keys on the Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc track "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

In March 2010, Mos Def's song Quiet Dog Bite Hard was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.[15]

Mos Def features on the first single, "Stylo", from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, alongside soul legend Bobby Womack. He also appears on the track titled "Sweepstakes".

In September 2010, after appearing on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Friday track "Lord Lord Lord", Mos Def confirmed his signing with GOOD Music.[16]

Mos Def has been an active contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards the repair of the damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally by Smokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

In September 2011, Mos Def announced that he planned to use the name Yasiin instead of Mos Def beginning in 2012.[17]

In January 2012, it was reported that Mos Def and Talib Kweli had begun "to resurrect" Black Star.[18]

Acting

He began his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, appearing in the TV movie God Bless the Child, starring Mare Winningham. He then played the oldest child in the short-lived family sitcom, You Take the Kids, starring Nell Carter and Roger E. Mosley. His most notable acting role before his music career was that of Bill Cosby's sidekick on the short-lived detective show, The Cosby Mysteries. He also starred in a 1996 Visa check card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. In 1997 he had a small role alongside Michael Jackson in his short film and music video "Ghosts".

After brief appearances in Bamboozled and Monster's Ball, Def played a rapper who is reluctant to sign to a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated for an Image Award and a Teen Choice Award.

In 2001, he took a supporting role to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.

In 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance.[19] He played Left Ear in the 2003 film The Italian Job. That same year he appear ed in the music video You Don't Know My Name of the song by Alicia Keys.

In television, Mos Def has appeared on NYPD Blue, on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, and has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, Def Poetry since its inception. The show's sixth season aired in 2007. He also appeared on the sitcom My Wife And Kids as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).

Mos Def won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. For his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in HBO's film Something the Lord Made, he was nominated for an Emmy Award[20] and a Golden Globe, and won the Image Award. He also played a bandleader in HBO's Lackawanna Blues. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In 2006, Mos Def appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party alongside fellow Black Star companion Talib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. He was also featured as the banjo player in the Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes, though his appearance was edited out of the DVD. He starred in the action film 16 Blocks alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He has a recurring guest role on Boondocks, starring as Gangstalicious. He is also set to be in Toussaint, a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. He made a cameo appearance as himself in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

In 2007, Mos Def narrated the PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves.

In 2008, Mos Def starred in the Michel Gondry movie Be Kind Rewind, playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-star Jack Black. He also portrayed Chuck Berry in the film Cadillac Records, for which he was nominated for a Black Reel Award and an Image Award.

In 2009, he appeared in the House episode entitled "Locked In" as a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. His performance was well-received, with E! saying that Mos Def "delivers an Emmy-worthy performance."[21] He was also in the 2009 film Next Day Air.

In 2010, he appeared on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero. He also appeared in A Free Man of Color, John Guare's play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.[22]

In 2011, he began a multi-episode appearance on the Showtime television series Dexter. He played Brother Sam, an ex-con who has supposedly found religion despite finding himself in violent situations.[23]

Social and political views

Def is well known for his left-wing political views.[24] In 2000, Mos Def performed a benefit concert for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.[25]

In September 2005, Mos Def released the single "Katrina Clap", renamed "Dollar Day" for True Magic, (utilizing the instrumental for New Orleans rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap"). The song is a criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. On the night of the MTV Video Music Awards, Mos Def pulled up in front of Radio City Music Hall on a flatbed truck and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front of a crowd that quickly gathered around him. He was subsequently arrested despite having a public performance permit in his possession.[26]

On September 7, 2007, Mos Def appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher where he spoke about racism against African Americans, citing the government response to Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six and the murder conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal. He appeared on Real Time again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk of nuclear weapons.[27] Mos Def said that he did not listen to any of Osama Bin Laden's messages because he did not trust the translations.[28]

In July 2013, Mos Def appeared in a short film, released by the human rights organization Reprieve, depicting the forced feeding methods used at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps. This occurred after a document containing the military instructions for the procedure was leaked.[29][30]

Acclaim

About.com ranked him #24 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time,[31] while The Source ranked him #23 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[32] Allmusic called him one of the most promising rappers to emerge in the late '90s,[33] as well as one of hip-hop's brightest hopes entering the 21st century.[34]

Personal life

Mos Def has five children.[35]

He married Maria Yepes in 1996 and they have two daughters : Jauhara Smith and Chandani Smith. On August 17, 2005, while still married to Yepes, he went to Canada and married music video model Alana Wyatt.[36] Wyatt published a tell all Breaking The Code Of Silence in January 2012 [37]

Mos Def filed for divorce in 2006.[38] The couple made headlines over Mos Def's refusal to pay child support.[35][39]

In October 2006 Mos Def appeared on 4Real, a documentary television series.[40] Appearing in the episode "City of God," he and the 4Real crew traveled to City of God, a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and learn about the crime and social problems of the community.[41]

Nominations

  • Black Movie Awards
    • 2006 Source Awards
  • Black Reel Awards
    • 2008, Best Supporting Actor: Cadillac Records
    • 2003, Best Actor- Independent: Civil Brand
    • 2004, Best Supporting Actor: The Italian Job
    • 2005, Best Actor TV Movie/Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made
    • 2005, Best Indie Actor: The Woodsman (won)
  • Emmy Award
    • 2004, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made
  • Golden Globes
    • 2005, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made
  • Grammy Awards
    • 2005, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Sex, Love & Money"
    • 2006, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Ghetto Rock"
    • 2007, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Undeniable"
    • 2010, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Casa Bey"
    • 2010, Best Rap Album: "The Ecstatic"
    • 2011, Best Short Form Music Video: "Stylo" (with Bobby Womack and Gorillaz)
  • Image Awards
    • 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Cadillac Records
    • 2003, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Brown Sugar
    • 2005, Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made

Discography

Main article: Mos Def discography
  • Black on Both Sides (1999)
  • The New Danger (2004)
  • True Magic (2006)
  • The Ecstatic (2009)
Collaborations
  • Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998) (with Talib Kweli as Black Star)
  • OMFGOD (2013) (with Mannie Fresh)
  • TBA (2014) (with Madlib as Moslib)

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1991 The Hard Way Dead Romeos Gang Member
1997 Ghosts Townsperson
1998 Where's Marlowe? Wilt Crawley
2000 Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme Himself
Bamboozled Big Blak Afrika Also recorded a song for the movie's soundtrack with other members of the Mau Maus
Island of the Dead Robbie J
2001 Carmen: A Hip Hopera Lieutenant Miller
Monster's Ball Ryrus Cooper
2002 Showtime Lazy Boy
Civil Brand Michael Meadows
Brown Sugar Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon
My Wife and Kids Tommy 1 episode: Chair Man of the Board
2003 The Italian Job Left Ear
2004 The Woodsman Detective Lucas
Something the Lord Made Vivien Thomas Nominated - Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominated - Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Movie
2005 Lackawanna Blues The Bandleader
The Boondocks (2005-2008) Voice Of Gangstalicious
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Ford Prefect
2006 Dave Chappelle's Block Party Himself
16 Blocks Eddie Bunker
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Himself Cameo
Journey to the End of the Night Wemba
2007 Prince Among Slaves Narrator
2008 Be Kind Rewind Mike
Cadillac Records Chuck Berry
2009 Next Day Air Eric
House Lee Season 5, Episode 19, Locked In
2010 I'm Still Here Himself
Bouncing Cats Himself
Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Mr. Superhero Season 3, Episode 44, Superhero
2011 Dexter Brother Sam Season 6, recurring, (credited as "Mos" in 2 episodes, "yasiin bey" in 3 episodes)
2013 Begin Again Saul
2014 Life of Crime Ordell Robbie

References

  1. [Mos Def at All Music Guide AllMusic Biography]
  2. 2.0 2.1 Asadullah, Ali (April 2001). You're Gonna Serve Somebody. Beliefnet. Retrieved on March 11, 2012.
  3. Drake, David (September 24, 2011). Review: Black Star at the House of Blues. Chicago Tribune.
  4. Posted by TheSavvySista on 6:52 AM (2008-10-01). VH1's 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs. The-savvy-sista.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  5. [Mos Def at All Music Guide Black on Both Sides]
  6. New Music Report: Mos Def's "The Ecstatic". Rolling Stone.
  7. Mos Def - Tru3 Magic - Hip-Hop Album Review
  8. Al Be Back speaks on Mos Def's new CD. Hiphopgame.com (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  9. Hip Hop Single of the Day Mos Def Fine (2002). WeLiveThis.com. Retrieved on June 7, 2009.
  10. Pitchforkmedia.com Pitchfork: Mos Def Signs to Downtown Recordings, Remixes Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." With Spank Rock
  11. Newman, Kathleen (2009-04-29). K'Naan Hopes To Break The U.S. With Help From Mos Def, Adam Levine. Mtv.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  12. Mos Def Live at Cape Town Jazz Fest // 125129. Wearehunted.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-01.
  13. Converse Connectivity. Converse.com (2009-09-28). Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  14. UNDRCRWN ~ Footwear & Apparel. Undrcrwn.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-01.
  15. Palm Advertising Campaign. palm.com. Retrieved on 2010-04-15.
  16. Denis, Vanessa (2010-09-27). Mos Def Signs With Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music - Music, Celebrity, Artist News. MTV. Retrieved on 2011-08-11.
  17. Perpetua, Matthew, Mos Def to Retire the Name 'Mos Def', 7 September 2011. URL accessed on 8 September 2011.
  18. Yeah, I Love it! Magazine "Faces: Yasiin Bey", January 31, 2012.
  19. Awards Archive. Outercritics.org. Retrieved on 2010-03-01.
  20. Mos Def Emmy Award Nomination
  21. Dos Santos, Kristin (2009-03-27). "House: Mos Def'initely Deserves an Emmy".
  22. Brantley, Ben (2010-11-18). Theater Review - 'A Free Man of Color' - John Guares Free Man of Color at Vivian Beaumont - Review - NYTimes.com. Theater.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  23. Guthrie, Marisa, Mos Def Joins 'Dexter', The Hollywood Reporter, May 11, 2011. URL accessed on May 25, 2011.
  24. Roberts, Roxanne; Amy Argetsinger (July 8, 2013). Mos Def, aka Yasiin Bey, undergoes force-feeding to protest Guantanamo measures. The Reliable Source. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 30 August 2013.
  25. Odiaga, L.V.R. (2000-05-23). Mos Def, Black Thought To Perform At Mumia Benefit. MTV.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-21.
  26. "Mos Def arrested outside VMAs." Mp3.com. 2006-09-01. Retrieved on 2007-11-09
  27. "episode 147." Real Time with Bill Maher. HBO. 2009-03-27.
  28. "Overtime." Real Time Bill Maher. HBO. 2007-03-27.
  29. "Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) force-fed under standard Guantánamo Bay procedure video". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  30. Reprieve.org.uk
  31. About.com
  32. Thisis50.com
  33. AllMusic
  34. AllMusic
  35. 35.0 35.1 http://blog.sfgate.com/dailydish/2006/02/16/mos-def-ordered-to-pay-more-child-support The star real name Dante Smith has three other children to support, as well as the two he fathered with estranged wife Maria Yepes-Smith, and cites business commitments as another financial burden.
  36. http://www.thestar.com/news/2008/06/29/scenes_from_a_hiphop_marriage.html
  37. http://www.avclub.com/article/ibreaking-the-code-of-silencei-is-a-tell-all-by-mo-88981
  38. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.4253/title.mos-def-tossed-out-of-court
  39. http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2006/02/15/Mos-Def-in-court-over-child-support/UPI-71471-140042320 Mos Def In Court Over Child Support
  40. Mos Def. 4REAL. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  41. 4REAL Mos Def in Cidade de Deuas. 4real.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mos Def Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mos Def

Soulquarians
Groups
Black Star | Reflection Eternal | Slum Village | The Roots
Members
?uestlove | Bilal | Common | D'Angelo | Erykah Badu | J Dilla | James Poyser | Mos Def | Q-Tip | Talib Kweli
Albums
1st Born Second | Amplified | Be | Baduizm | Black on Both Sides | Black Star | Brown Sugar | Can I Borrow a Dollar? | Champion Sound | Donuts | Eardrum | Electric Circus | Fantastic, Vol. 1 | Fantastic, Vol. 2 | Finding Forever | Funky Cousins (Demo) | Game Theory | Heartache | James River | Jay Love Japan | Kamaal the Abstract | Like Water for Chocolate | Live | Live at the Jazz Cafe | Mama's Gun | One Day It'll All Make Sense | Open | Quality | Relive The Moment | Resurrection | Ruff Draft | The Beautiful Struggle | The New Danger | The Shining | The Shining Instrumentals | Train of Thought | Tru3 Magic | Voodoo | Welcome 2 Detroit | Worldwide Underground
This page was last modified 26.04.2014 19:57:16

This article uses material from the article Mos Def from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.