Mos Def

Yasiin Bey, born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973, is an American rapper, singer, and actor formerly known as Mos Def. He emerged from Brooklyn's hip-hop community in the mid-1990s, first working with his siblings in the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics and making guest appearances on releases by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul.

In 1996, he and fellow Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli formed Black Star. The duo's debut, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, arrived in 1998 and produced the singles “Definition” and “Respiration,” the latter featuring Common. The record placed Bey's precise, conversational writing alongside Kweli's equally focused delivery, with both artists addressing social and political concerns.

Bey's solo debut, Black on Both Sides, followed in 1999 and received critical acclaim. His work is associated with conscious hip-hop, using wordplay and direct commentary on police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the position of African Americans in the United States. His 2000 single “Oh No,” made with Pharoahe Monch and featuring Nate Dogg, remains his only Billboard Hot 100 entry as a solo artist. His fourth album, The Ecstatic, released in 2009, was also met with critical acclaim. In 2014, About.com placed him at number 14 on its “50 Greatest Rappers of All Time” list.

Alongside music, Bey began acting as a child in television films, sitcoms, and theater. His screen work has included Bamboozled, Brown Sugar, The Italian Job, The Woodsman, Something the Lord Made, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, and Next Day Air. He has also appeared in the television series Dexter and House, and hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007.