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Mos Def

Mos Def
Mos Def - Ilosaarirock 2012.jpg
Mos Def performing at the 2012 Ilosaarirock festival
Born Dante Terrell Smith
(1973-12-11) December 11, 1973 (age 43)
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 (/jæˈsn ˈb/) (born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), best known by his stage name Mos Def (/ˈms 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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