9.0
9.0
Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
2006
Yasiin Bey
Also known as: Dante Terrell Smith, Dante Beze, Black Dante...
Acting
Nationality:United States
Education:New York University, Philippa Schuyler Middle School, Talent Unlimited High School, City As School
N/A
CommunityBiographyvia wikipedia
Yasiin Bey ( yass-EEN BAY; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( MOHSS DEF), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such as police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the status of African Americans in the United States. After embarking on his career in 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) and guest appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. In 1996, he and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Black Star, whose debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998) spawned the singles "Definition" and "Respiration" (featuring Common). His debut solo album, Black on Both Sides (1999) was met with critical acclaim, along with his fourth album The Ecstatic (2009). Bey's 2000 single, "Oh No" (with Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Dogg) remains his sole entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo act. In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time". A former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, Bey has appeared in the films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, The Woodsman, Bamboozled, and Brown Sugar and in television series such as Dexter and House. He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007.
Notable Works
Something the Lord Made
Filmography (46 movies)
8.0
8.0
Ghosts
1997
as Dante
8.0
8.0
Gorillaz | MTV World Stage
2023
as Mos Def
8.0
8.0
Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
2003
as Self
7.8
7.8
Something the Lord Made
2004
as Vivien Thomas
7.6
7.6
Gorillaz: Reject False Icons
2019
as Mos Def
7.6
7.6
Amy
2015
as Self
7.2
7.2
Begin Again
2014
as Saul
7.1
7.1
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
2011
as Self
7.1
7.1
Cadillac Records
2008
as Chuck Berry
7.0
7.0
Hargrove
2022
as Self
6.9
6.9
A Man's Story
2011
as Self
6.9
6.9
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
2000
as Himself
6.9
6.9
The Woodsman
2004
as Sgt. Lucas
6.9
6.9
Civil Brand
2003
as Michael Meadows
6.8
6.8
The Italian Job
2003
as Left Ear
6.8
6.8
Monster's Ball
2001
as Ryrus Cooper
6.8
6.8
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
2005
as Self - (as Mos Def)
6.7
6.7
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012
as Self
6.7
6.7
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005
as Ford Prefect
6.6
6.6
Brown Sugar
2002
as Chris Anton 'Cav' Vichon
6.4
6.4
16 Blocks
2006
as Eddie Bunker
6.4
6.4
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021
as Self (archive footage)
6.3
6.3
Be Kind Rewind
2008
as Mike
6.3
6.3
God Bless the Child
1988
as Richard Watkins
6.2
6.2
Bamboozled
2000
as Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika
6.2
6.2
Carmen: A Hip Hopera
2001
as Lt. Miller
6.1
6.1
The Hard Way
1991
as Dead Romeos
6.0
6.0
Prince Among Slaves
2008
as Narrator
5.8
5.8
Journey to the End of the Night
2006
as Wemba
5.7
5.7
Life of Crime
2013
as Ordell Robbie
5.7
5.7
Lackawanna Blues
2005
as The Bandleader
5.5
5.5
Showtime
2002
as Lazy Boy
5.3
5.3
Where's Marlowe?
1998
as Wilt Crawley
5.3
5.3
French Tour
2016
as Focé
5.1
5.1
Next Day Air
2009
as Eric
3.3
3.3
Island of the Dead
2000
as Robbie J
In Prison My Whole Life
2008
as Self
Standard Operating Procedure
2013
Split Images
1992
as Curtis Roy
Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
2003
as Himself
The Making of Plastic Beach
2010
as Mos Def
Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light
2021
Part of Me
2023
as Himself
Bouncing Cats
2010
September in Brooklyn: The Making of Block Party
2006
as Self
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