Mos Def
| Mos Def | |
|---|---|
Mos Def performing at the 2012 Ilosaarirock festival
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| Born |
Dante Terrell Smith December 11, 1973 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States |
| Other names | Mos Def, Dante Beze, Black Dante, Yasiin Bey |
| Occupation | Rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, activist |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Home town | Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, bass guitar, sampler, drums |
| Labels |
GOOD Music, Downtown (current) Rawkus, Priority, Geffen (former) |
| Associated acts | UTD, Dec 99th, Black Jack Johnson, Blakroc, Black Star, Busta Rhymes, Gorillaz, Kanye West, Madlib, Mannie Fresh, Native Tongues Posse, Pharoahe Monch, The Roots, Soulquarians |
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/) (born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), best known by his stage name Mos Def (/ˈmoʊs ˈdɛf/), is an American hip hop recording artist, actor and activist from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Best known for his music, Mos Def embarked on 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 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.
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