Mos Def

Alternative hip hop, Music video performer

1973 –

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Who is Mos Def?

Dante Terrell Smith, better known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey, is an American actor and hip hop recording artist from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album Black Star in 1998. He was a major force in late 1990s underground hip hop while with Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums Black on Both Sides in 1999, The New Danger in 2004, True Magic in 2006, and The Ecstatic in 2009.

Since the early 2000s, Mos Def has become an actor with roles in films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, and his portrayal of Brother Sam in the American drama series Dexter. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political causes.

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Born
Dec 11, 1973
Brooklyn
Also known as
  • Dante Terrell Smith
  • Mos Def.
  • Dante Smith
  • Yasiin Bey
  • Dante Bezé
  • Flaco Bey
  • Dante Beze
  • Mos
  • Smith Dante
  • Bizet Dante
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Islam
Ethnicity
  • African American
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Philippa Schuyler Middle School
  • Talent Unlimited High School
  • New York University
Lived in
  • Brooklyn

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"Mos Def." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/mos_def>.

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