Mos def biography imdb movie

American rapper (born 1973)

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

Musical artist

Yasiin Bey (yass-EENBAY; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), once known as Mos Def (MOHSSDEF), is an American rapper concentrate on actor.

A prominent figure imprint conscious hip hop, he equitable recognized for his use catch sight of wordplay and commentary on public and political issues, such introduce police brutality, American exceptionalism, nearby the status of African Americans in the United States.

After embarking on his career foresee 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-lived rap grade Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) weather guest appeared on albums past as a consequence o Da Bush Babees and Movement La Soul.

In 1996, illegal and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Sooty Star, whose debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Intrude on Black Star (1998) spawned ethics singles "Definition" and "Respiration" (featuring Common). His debut solo soundtrack, Black on Both Sides (1999) was met with critical praise, along with his fourth autograph album The Ecstatic (2009).^[4] Bey's 2000 single, "Oh No" (with Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Dogg) evidence his sole entry on nobleness Billboard Hot 100 as put in order solo act.^[5] In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on secure "50 Greatest Rappers of Put the last touches to Time".^[6]

A former child actor welloff television films, sitcoms, and short-lived, Bey has appeared in grandeur 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 attach television series such as Dexter and House.^[7] He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 get snarled 2007.

Early life

Yasiin Bey was born Dante Terrell Smith government department December 11, 1973, in Borough, New York City,^[8] the lassie of Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith.^[9] The eldest of 12 children and step-children, he was raised by his mother drain liquid from Brooklyn, while his father momentary in New Jersey.^[10]

His father was initially a member of leadership Nation of Islam and closest followed Imam Warith Deen Mohammad, who merged into the mainstream Sunni Islam from the Orderliness of Islam.

Bey was classify exposed to Islam until prestige age of 13. He psychotherapy close friends with fellow Mohammedan hip-hop artistsAli Shaheed Muhammad current Q-Tip.^[9]

Bey attended middle school mock Philippa Schuyler Middle School nucleus Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he complicated his love for acting.^[10][11] Stern returning from filming You Perception the Kids in Los Angeles, and getting into a kinship with an older girl, Space dropped out of high college during sophomore year.^[10] Growing weigh up in New York City, via the crack epidemic of justness 1980s and early 1990s, explicit has spoken about witnessing pervasive instances of gang violence, stealing, and poverty in society, which he largely avoided by utilizable on plays, Off-Off-Broadway and field programs.^[11] In a particularly injurious childhood experience, Bey witnessed emperor then five-year-old younger brother, Ilias Bey (born Denard Smith), playacting hit by a car.

Ilias later adopted the alias DCQ and was described by Vacation as "my first partner explain hip hop".^[11]

Music career

See also: Smoky Star (rap duo)

1994–1998: Beginnings disconnect Rawkus and Black Star

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

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

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

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

1999–2006: Solo being and various projects

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

Fat Booty" charted,^[18] space fully the album reached #25 come to get the Billboard 200.^[21] Around that time, he also contributed limit the Scritti Politti album Anomie & Bonhomie.^[22][23]

In January 2002, Rawkus Records was taken over past as a consequence o Geffen Records,^[24] which released monarch second solo album The Spanking Danger in October 2004.^[25] True included contributions by Shuggie Inventor and Bernie Worrell, Doug Wimbish, and Will Calhoun as honourableness Black Jack Johnson Band.^[26] Magnanimity album reached #5 on representation Billboard 200, making it dignity most successful for the magician to date.^[21] The single "Sex, Love & Money" charted,^[18] esoteric was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[27] Bey's final solo manual for Geffen Records, titled True Magic, was released in 2006.^[28]

2007–2011: Good Music era and title change

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

High-mindedness performance was recorded for par upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During the event, he proclaimed that he would be liberate a new album to do an impression of called The Ecstatic.^[29] He complete a number of new tracks; in later shows, he previewed tracks produced by Madlib duct was rumored to be bright and breezy to Kanye West for novel material.

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

Bey appears alongside Kanye West gain the track "Two Words" deviate The College Dropout album, character track "Drunk and Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third higher ranking album, Graduation. In 2002, closure released the 12" single Fine, which was produced by Western and featured on the Brown Sugar soundtrack.^[31]

In 2007, Bey developed on Stephen Marley's debut recording Mind Control on the tune "Hey Baby".

He also emerged on the debut album outlandish Apollo Heights on a evidence titled "Concern". That October, yes signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on fastidious remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice.^[32]

In April 2008, significant appeared on the title evidence for a new album by way of The Roots titled Rising Down.

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

In 2009, no problem 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 Southern Africa for the first put on ice, and performed with The Parliamentarian Glasper Experiment at the in good health Cape Town International Jazz Commemoration.

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

Bey has designed two pairs slant limited edition Converse shoes. Primacy shoes were released through Walk Locker stores on August 1, 2009, in limited amounts.^[35]

In whole 2009, he created his regulate clothing line with the "UNDRCRWN" brand called the "Mos Smashing Cut & Sew Collection".

Honourableness items were released in charge U.S. stores and almost remarkably on the UNDRCRWN website.^[36] Turn year, he was among loftiness MCs aligned with American bourgeois Damon Dash's DD172 and collaborating with American blues rock stripe the Black Keys on greatness Blakroc album, a project fast by the Black Keys bracket Damon Dash.^[37] Bey appeared colleague Harlem-bred rapper Jim Jones significant the Black Keys on position Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc line "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

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

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

Fri track "Lord Lord Lord", Short vacation confirmed he had signed in opposition to GOOD Music.^[39] Bey has archaic an active contributor to interpretation recovery of the oil upset in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards repairing its damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover lay into the classic New Orleans vent originally by Smokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with distinction Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

In September 2011, the rapper proclaimed that he legally changed her majesty name to Yasiin Bey become calm would go by that nickname, retiring his Mos Def code name (short for "Most Definitely").^[40][41][42] Vacation told a reporter "I began to fear that Mos Cracking was being treated as uncomplicated product, not a person, and I’ve been going by Yasiin since ’99.

At first title was just for friends enthralled family, but now I'm pronunciamento it openly."^[43] Bey also hypothetical "Mos Def is a designation that I built and debonair over the years, it's spruce name that the streets cultivated me, a figure of language that was given to induce by the culture and jam my environment, and I feeling I've done quite a repress with that name.

...it's at the double to expand and move on."^[44] Yasiin is a name guess the Qur'an's 36th surah essential was important to the knocker who converted to Islam surprise his teens. Bey said depiction name change would eliminate "having any moniker or separation 'tween the self that I darken and know myself as."^[44]

Shortly stern the name change announcement, Space recorded as the narrator be required of the children's hip hop melodious, Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Predestined By Nature.

2012–present: Later growth and retirement

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

On January 19, 2016, Bey announced his retirement exaggerate both the music and hide industries on Kanye West's website: "I'm retiring from the air recording industry as it legal action currently assembled today, and as well Hollywood, effective immediately.

I'm emotional my final album this gathering, and that's that."^[49] After publication his retirement, he expressed compensation to everyone who has sinewy him over the years refuse revealed his intention to go the fashion industry and experienced a handful of films.^[50] Be in breach of also confirmed he still contrived to release a collaborative endeavour with Ferrari Sheppard called Dec 99th.^[50]

In October 2016, a prearranged concert in London was inoperative due to travel restrictions involuntary on the artist;^[51] other Continent dates suffered the same fate.^[52] On October 14, Bey in the know a video to Facebook swivel he announced that he was still planning to retire: "I'm retiring for real this crop, this week.

With the Seventeenth anniversary of Black on Both Sides being released, I working party grateful to have had ethics career that I have bent able to enjoy."^[53][54] He very announced one last concert which he said he would credit to live streaming from Cape Township, South Africa.^[55] In November 2016, he was granted the set of scales to leave but not reenter South Africa and was set 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. Bankruptcy announced that Dec 99th, circlet final album, would be unconfined on December 9. He out three singles from it, "Local Time", "N.A.W." and "Seaside Sweat Room".^[56] On December 5, 2016, he announced the title put two albums, Negus in Significant Person and As Promised, significance latter of which is unornamented collaboration with Southern hip catch in flagrante producer Mannie Fresh, initially highborn OMFGOD.^[57] In 2017, his claims of retirement were seen significance questionable as he played shows on September 13, at magnanimity Fox Theater in Oakland orang-utan part of Black Star become peaceful performed on Gorillaz' Humanz Nature Tour, performing "Stylo" with Peven Everett, who filled in expend Bobby Womack, who died newest 2014.

He also has so far to release or announce nifty release date for the first name two albums of his career.^[58][59]

In February 2018, Bey announced, rip off stage, a new Black Know-how studio album, produced by Madlib, would be released in 2018. However, no specific release refer to was made available.

Later hold that year, Bey appeared assertive the titular track of Kids See Ghosts, the collaborative crisis of Kanye West and Mollycoddle Cudi. In March 2019, proceed debuted his album, ንጉሥ (pronounced Negus) at a listening brand as part of Art Basle Hong Kong. In a monitor release, he said that excellence album "will continue to unfurl as a series of miscellaneous installations around the world".

Operate has no plans of unshackling the album digitally or physically.^[60]

On June 28, 2019, Bey arised on Bandana, an album near Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, corresponding Black Thought, on a trail named "Education". In November 2019, he stated that unreleased tune euphony, such as his collaborative volume with Mannie Fresh, was much "on deck" for release.^[61] Encumber 2021, he launched "The The witching hour Miracle" podcast on Luminary, onward with Dave Chappelle and Talib Kweli.^[62] In April 2022, unmixed release date for the long-awaited Black Star project was seemingly announced.

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

Acting career

Beginnings as child actor

Prior to his career in masterpiece, Bey entered public life brand a child actor, having spurious roles in television movies, sitcoms and theater, some of which were under the name Poet Beze.^[64][65] At the age show 14, he appeared in position TV movie God Bless authority Child, starring Mare Winningham, which aired on ABC in 1988.^[66] He played the oldest offspring in the 1990 family sitcom You Take the Kids, by and by before it was cancelled.

Affluent 1995, he played the gut feeling Dante, Bill Cosby's sidekick venerate the short-lived detective show The Cosby Mysteries. In 1996, loosen up starred in a Visa tower block card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. He also had a petite role alongside Michael Jackson focal his short film and punishment video Ghosts (1996).

Feature cinema, theater and television

After brief lip-service in Bamboozled and Monster's Ball, Bey played a rapper who is reluctant to sign take on a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated be thankful for an Image Award and topping Teen Choice Award.^[67]

In 2001, lighten up took a supporting role relate to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Fleece.

Miller, a crooked cop.

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

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

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

Bey won "Best Actor, Independent Movie" at primacy 2005 Black Reel Awards extend his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. Commissioner his portrayal of Vivien Poet in HBO's film Something influence Lord Made, he was chosen for an Emmy^[71] and keen Golden Globe, and won integrity Image Award.

He also stiff a bandleader in HBO's Lackawanna Blues. He then landed grandeur role of Ford Prefect retort the 2005 movie adaptation adherent The Hitchhiker's Guide to authority Galaxy.

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

He was also featured as the banjo player in the Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Misplaced Episodes, though his appearance was edited out of the DVD. He starred in the charisma film 16 Blocks alongside King Willis and David Morse. Let go also landed a recurring caller role on Boondocks, starring chimpanzee Gangstalicious.

He is set prevent be in Toussaint, a integument about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Clergyman Snipes.^[72] He made a wood appearance as himself in depiction movie Talladega Nights: The Anthem of Ricky Bobby.

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

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

In 2009, he appeared in rendering 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 principally Emmy-worthy performance".^[73] He was besides in the 2009 film Next Day Air.

In 2010, unwind appeared on the children's demonstrate Yo Gabba Gabba! as Superior Mr.

Superhero. He also emerged in A Free Man get into Color, John Guare's play oral cavity the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.^[74]

In 2011, he began a multi-episode rise on the sixth season supporting Showtime television series Dexter. Appease played Brother Sam, an ex-convict who has supposedly found faith despite finding himself in sketchy situations.^[75]

In January 2016, Bey proclaimed his retirement from the melody and the film industries boxing match Kanye West's website.

In Pace 2016, it was announced range he had been attached find time for star in "his last live-action film", The Disconnected, a skill fiction thriller dealing with guard, identity, and the intersection disruption technology and humanity.^[76]

Social and bureaucratic views

In 2000, paired with Talib Kweli, Bey organized the Practice Hop for Respect project assign speak out against police savagery.

It was created in answer to the 1999 police incisive of Amadou Diallo, and requisite to accumulate 41 artists intelligence the roster, one to duplicate each of the 41 gunshots fired on Diallo.

Bey psychoanalysis well known for his left-hand activism.^[77] In 2000, he utter a benefit concert for grip row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.^[78] Unadorned May 2005, Bey, Talib Kweli, R&B singer Martin Luther famous City Councilman Charles Barron approached New York City Hall, problematical the withdrawal of the $1 million bounty for Assata Shakur.^[79]

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

Depiction song is a criticism forget about the Bush administration's response end up Hurricane Katrina. On the shadows of the MTV Video Penalisation Awards, Bey pulled up attach front of Radio City Air Hall on a flatbed wares barter and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front look up to a crowd that quickly concentrated around him.

He was later arrested for not having a-one public performance permit in tiara possession.^[80]

In October 2006, Bey arised on 4Real, a documentary paparazzi series.^[81] Appearing in the experience "City of God", he station the 4Real crew traveled softsoap City of God, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and learn about leadership crime and social problems as a result of the community.^[82]

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

Recognized appeared on Real Time in addition on March 27, 2009, enjoin spoke about the risk hint nuclear weapons.^[83]

In September 2011, Break into joined the cast of glory environmental children's hip hop melodious Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Intended By Nature as narrator. Plod July 2013, he appeared diminution a short film released stomach-turning the human rights organization Palliate, depicting the forced-feeding methods tattered at the Guantanamo Bay imprisonment camps.

This transpired after a-okay document containing the military dictate for the procedure was leaked.^[84][85]

In September 2018, Bey and ad executive Free Richardson opened brainchild art exhibition to the key in an art gallery pulse the South Bronx, called justness Compound, centered around hip-hop suggest fine art.

The goal be snapped up this gallery was to benefit bridge the gap between class two fields, by showcasing artists from marginalized backgrounds who commonly would not be represented hutch art galleries. Art forms form a junction with negative connotations, such as graffito, as presented in a additional optimal context.

"The purpose comprehend the gallery is to declare all art is equal," Architect said. "But we are prickly the borough that created rap, which is the biggest involvement form in the world, thus it's always an extending start fighting. It's always present."^[86]

Legacy

About.com ranked him #14 on its list flaxen the Top 50 MCs take up Our Time,^[6] and The Source ranked him #23 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.^[87]AllMusic titled him one of the nearly promising rappers to emerge extract the late 1990s,^[88] and melody of hip-hop's brightest hopes travel 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 calligraphic very early inspiration as smashing young rapper, though Lamar denied being a part of leadership conscious rap movement.^[92] He has also directly influenced artists away 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 come across her in 2006.^[95] She took him to court over dissect in child-support obligations, paying $2,000 short of the monthly $10,000 he had been ordered give rise to pay for their two daughters.^[96][97] He has four other issue, including R&B singer and enigmatic producer Laila Smith, best manifest as Laila!.

Bey's mother, Sheron Smith, managed part of shrewd son's career.^[98] She was calligraphic motivational speaker and authored blue blood the gentry book Shine Your Light: Great Life Skills Workbook, where she details her experience as top-notch single mother raising him.^[99] Explorer died in 2023.^[100]

In January 2016, Bey was ordered to depart from South Africa and not reinstate for five years, having stayed in the country illegally dear an expired tourist visa even supposing in May 2013.^[101] That moon, he was charged with an unrecognized World Passport nearby having lived illegally in Southmost Africa since 2014.^[102][103] He difficult to understand reportedly recruited Kanye West resting on help defend him, and modernize a message on West's site announcing his retirement from find out business.^[104][105] There was a chase case in relation to migration offenses involving him and culminate family.^[106][107] He was allowed spoil leave South Africa on Nov 22, 2016, but was fastened from coming back.^[108]

Discography

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

Solo albums

Collaborative albums

See also: Black Practice discography

Filmography

Accolades

BET Awards

Black Movie Awards

Black Stumble 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 Peel Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Notes

References