A great, multi-talented artist. Mos Def is one of the most highly regarded talents working in the music industry, and is a well-known musician, poet, rapper and actor. His brand of music encompasses a socially conscious genre of hip-hop that unfortunately...
[more]A great, multi-talented artist. Mos Def is one of the most highly regarded talents working in the music industry, and is a well-known musician, poet, rapper and actor. His brand of music encompasses a socially conscious genre of hip-hop that unfortunately doesn’t seem to garner as much attention as his gangsta-lifestyle and bling-lovin’ comrades. His lyrics are maturely poetic and musical and aim to reach an audience that seeks more than just mere distraction and simplistic entertainment.
Dante Terrell Smith-aka Mos Def-was born in Brooklyn, US (1973), and grew up during the height of hip-hop’s popularity. In the late 1990s, Mos Def (along with other artists such as Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip and groups such as A Tribe Called Quest) was instrumental in advocating the emergence of a more socially aware rap music that had been underground since the early 90s. After signing with Rawkus Records, Mos Def formed the group Black Star with Talib Kweli and released an album: Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, in 1998. The album featured the hit singles: Respiration and Definition, both of which would go on to be featured in VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Mos Def’s growing talent as an actor can been seen in films such as Bamboozled and Monster’s Ball, and he has obtained awards for appearing in Brown Sugar and The Italian Job. For his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman he has won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards; and in playing the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-winning play Topdog/Underdog, he, along with co-star Jeffrey Wright, won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance.
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