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Yasiin Bey, better known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer, actor, and activist. Best known for his music, Bey began 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 they 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. Some of Mos Def's top hits include "Oh No", "Definition" and "Respiration".
Birth Name
Dante Terrell Smith
Born
Tuesday, 11 December 1973
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy | (archive footage) (as Mos Def) | 2022 |
| You're Watching Video Music Box | Self (archive footage) / Self | 2021 |
| Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor | Self | 2020 |
| Gorillaz: Reject False Icons | Himself / Self | 2019 |
| Tour de France | Foce / Focé | 2016 |
| Amy | Self / Himself | 2015 |
| Begin Again | Saul | 2014 |
| The Getaway | Self (2014) | 2013 |
| Life of Crime | Ordell Robbie | 2013 |
| Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell | Self | 2012 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy | (archive footage) (as Mos Def) | 2022 |
| You're Watching Video Music Box | Self (archive footage) / Self | 2021 |
| Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor | Self | 2020 |
| Gorillaz: Reject False Icons | Himself / Self | 2019 |
| Tour de France | Foce / Focé | 2016 |
| Amy | Self / Himself | 2015 |
| Begin Again | Saul | 2014 |
| The Getaway | Self (2014) | 2013 |
| Life of Crime | Ordell Robbie | 2013 |
| Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell | Self | 2012 |
| Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap | Self / Himself | 2012 |
| Re: Generation | (as Mos Def) | 2012 |
| Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest | Self | 2011 |
| 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | Self - Nominee | 2010 |
| I'm Still Here | Mos Def / Himself | 2010 |
| Bouncing Cats | 2010 | |
| Welcome to Blakroc | (as Mos Def) | 2009 |
| Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Himself - Guest Vocalist (as Mos Def) / Himself - Musical Guest (as Black Star) / Himself - Musical Guest (as Mos Def) | 2009 |
| Next Day Air | Eric | 2009 |
| Cadillac Records | Chuck Berry | 2008 |
| What's in My Bag? | Self | 2008 |
| Standard Operating Procedure | Self | 2013 |
| Be Kind Rewind | Mike | 2008 |
| Prince Among Slaves | Narrator | 2008 |
| In Prison My Whole Life | Himself / Self | 2008 |
| Bury Me Standing | 2008 | |
| Yo Gabba Gabba! | Super Mr. Superhero | 2007 |
| Dexter | Brother Sam | 2006 |
| Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Mos Def | 2006 |
| Journey to the End of the Night | Wemba | 2006 |
| 16 Blocks | Eddie Bunker / Eddie Bunker (as Mos Def) | 2006 |
| Coachella | Self | 2006 |
| Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes | Self | 2006 |
| Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops | Self | 2006 |
| The Boondocks | Gangstalicious | 2005 |
| The Colbert Report | Self - Guest | 2005 |
| Dave Chappelle's Block Party | Self / Self - (as Mos Def) | 2005 |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Ford Prefect | 2005 |
| Kanye West: College Dropout - Video Anthology | Self (segments "Through the Wire" and "Two Words") | 2005 |
| Lackawanna Blues | The Bandleader | 2005 |
| Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth | Self | 2005 |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Self - Musical Guest | 2005 |
| The Woodsman | Sgt. Lucas | 2004 |
| House | Lee | 2004 |
| Something the Lord Made | Vivien Thomas | 2004 |
| Juvies | (voice) (as Mos Def) | 2004 |
| Civil Brand | Michael Meadows | 2003 |
| The Italian Job | Left Ear | 2003 |
| Real Time with Bill Maher | Self | 2003 |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself - Guest (as Black Star) / Himself - Guest (as Mos Def) | 2003 |
| Chappelle's Show | Self - Musical Guest / Gen. Cornrow Wallace / Rondell, Black Delegation Rep / Self / Soldier / Anonymous Actor / Banjo Player / Black Head of the CIA | 2003 |
| Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! | Self / Himself | 2003 |
| Brown Sugar | Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon | 2002 |
| The 56th Annual Tony Awards | Self - Performer | 2002 |
| Showtime | Lazy Boy | 2002 |
| Def Poetry | Self - Host / Self | 2002 |
| The Freshest Kids | (as Mos Def) | 2002 |
| The Proud Family | Mos Def | 2001 |
| The Wayne Brady Show | Mos Def | 2001 |
| Monster's Ball | Ryrus Cooper | 2001 |
| Carmen: A Hip Hopera | Lt. Miller | 2001 |
| Island of the Dead | Robbie J | 2000 |
| Bamboozled | Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika / Big Blak Afrika | 2000 |
| Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme | Self / Himself | 2000 |
| My Wife and Kids | Tommy | 2000 |
| Where's Marlowe? | Wilt Crawley | 1999 |
| Dellaventura | Morgue Assistant | 1997 |
| Brooklyn South | Darius | 1997 |
| Reverb | Self - Mos Def Presents Black Jack Johnson | 1997 |
| Ghosts | Dante | 1996 |
| Spin City | Monty | 1996 |
| The Cosby Mysteries | Dante | 1994 |
| The Cosby Mysteries | Dante | 1994 |
| NYPD Blue | Leslie Peach / Levon Wells | 1993 |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Self - Musical Guest / Himself - Musical Guest | 1993 |
| Late Show with David Letterman | Himself - Musical Guest | 1993 |
| Later... With Jools Holland | Self | 1992 |
| Here and Now | Alonzo / (as Mos Def) | 1992 |
| HBO First Look | Self | 1992 |
| The Hard Way | Dead Romeos | 1991 |
| You Take the Kids | Raymond Kirkland | 1990 |
| Unplugged | Self | 1989 |
| God Bless the Child | Richard Watkins | 1988 |
Producer Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| Def Poetry | 2002 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 2005 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2004 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Nominated |
