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Mos Def, now known as Yasiin Bey, is among the most celebrated MCs of the early 2000s. From his pivotal collaboration with Talib Kweli, Black Star, to his massive solo career, to his successful transition into acting, Mos Def has continuously proven his talent and versatility. Although he’s taken a step back from the public eye for the last few years, he’s still cemented himself as a legend in the rap game.
I’ve been listing to Mos Def for many years after discovering Black Star and Black on Both Sides as a teenager. He’s always had a rare talent for making insightful and socially conscious music that is also fun and entertaining to listen to, which is why his messages are so powerful. Here is a look at the life and career of Mos Def.
Mos Def Quick Facts
Full Name | born Dante Terrell Smith, now Yasiin Bey |
Birth Date | December 11th, 1973 |
Birth Place | Brooklyn, New York City |
Nick Name | Mos Def, Dante Beez, Flaco, El-Bey the Moor |
Nationality | American |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Siblings | 12 |
Children | Chandani Smith and Jauhara Smith |
Partner / Spouse | Maria Yepes (ex-wife) |
Most Successful Songs / Albums | Black on Both Sides |
Earnings | n/a |
Net Worth | $1.5 million |
Social Media | IG: @yasiinbey TW: @MosDefOfficial |
Awards | 6 Grammy nominations, 1 Black Reel Award |
Last Updated | September 2022 |
Mos Def Birthplace
Mos Def was born on December 11th, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood, along with other hip-hop legends like Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls.
Mos Def Parents
Mos Def is the son of Sharon Smith and Abdulrahman Smith. His father, Abdulrahman was a member of the nation of Islam and a follower of Warith Dean Mohammed. However, Mos was mainly raised by his mother in the Roosevelt Housing Projects while his father lived in New Jersey.
His mother, Sharon, who goes by the name Um, is a motivational speaker and author. She has an active role in managing her son’s career and wrote a book about raising him called Shine Your Light: A Life Skills Workbook.
Mos Def Early Life
Mos grew up mainly in Brooklyn’s Bed Stuy and East Flatbush neighborhoods. Growing up around poverty, crime, and substance abuse, Mos described his early surroundings as a vibrant place with a dark outlook. He saw what his future would hold if he got too deeply entrenched in the street lifestyle around him, so he decided early on to try to better himself and find a brighter path. At first, he thought he might become a minister or a doctor. But his first passion, even before music, was acting.
Mos attended Phillipa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He made his first acting debut in the fifth grade in the Marlo Thomas play “Free to be You and Me.” He would go on to attend a performing arts magnet high school but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue acting full time.
He landed his first acting gig in an ABC TV movie called God Bless the Child while still a freshman in high school. At 16, he was cast in a role on the sitcom You Take the Kids, which ran until 1991. He also appeared in shows like The Cosby Mysteries, Spin City, and NYPD Blue throughout the early ’90s. He would also frequently appear in off-Broadway plays and performing arts pieces between paid acting gigs.
But at the same time, Mos was also beginning to gravitate toward music and formed a rap group with his brother DCQ and friend CES called UTD (Urban Thermo Dynamics) in 1994.
Mos Def Professional Career
UTD
Urban Thermo Dynamics eventually signed to a local record label. They never produced an actual project but Mos started building a name for himself in the local hip hop scene. During that time, he was introduced to acts like De La Soul and Da Bush Babies, and they all began working on music together.
His first appearance on a record was on the song Big Brother Beat from De La Soul’s Stakes is High album. The same year, he also appeared on the track SOS on Da Bush Babee’s album Gravity. He also dropped his first official solo single Universal Magnetic in 1997.
His talent was immediately apparent, and he signed a deal with Rawkus Records shortly after. While building his music career, Mos worked at a local bookstore in Brooklyn called N’kiru Books along with Talib Kweli, who was also just an up-and-coming artist. The two decided to join forced and form a group called Black Star.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star
In 1998, they released an album called Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star which was met with universal acclaim from critics. It was also a modest commercial success, peaking at number 53 on Billboard.
Black Star’s debut album is now considered one of the greatest conscious hip hop albums of all time. In my opinion, it’s a nearly flawless album showcasing two generational talents at their hungriest. The project proved that both artists could make music that was simultaneously thought-provoking and entertaining, which is a balance that is hard to achieve. It also showed that they deeply appreciated the culture and the greats that came before them. They found a way to borrow from traditional hip hop, yet still sound fresh and modern.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star is an undeniable classic and helped set both artists up for successful solo careers. Mos would capitalize on the success of Black Star by dropping his debut solo album the following year.
Black on Both Sides
Black on Both Sides was released in October 1999 and quickly named an instant classic in underground hip hop. The album reached number 25 on Billboard and was certified Gold in February 2000 after selling more than 500,000 copies.
The project had a diverse sound that borrowed from many genres, including hip hop, rock, soul, jazz, and R&B. The production featured frequent live instrumentation that perfectly accentuated Mos’s poetic, socially conscious lyrics.
Black on Both Sides is one of my favorite Mos Def projects and ranks right alongside Black Star as one of the most essential hip hop albums of the late ’90s. Mos simultaneously celebrates and critiques rap culture in a way few other artists can and offers thought-provoking takes that are both playful and satirical. Black on Both Sides proved that he could hold his own as a solo artist and deliver a groundbreaking and sonically masterful project.
Throughout the early 2000’s he would also rediscover his love for acting and land prominent roles in films like Bamboozled, Monster’s Ball, and Brown Sugar. He even earned an award for best actor in an independent film at the Black Reel Awards for his role in the 2004’s The Woodsman.
The New Danger
But Mos hadn’t entirely given up on music and returned with his second album, the New Danger, in 2004. The sprawling album saw Mos experimenting with different styles and sounds, to varying degrees of success. It debuted at number 5 on Billboard and the track Sex Love and Money was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the Grammys. However, the critical reception was not as enthusiastic as his first album.
While the New Danger certainly has its high points, it’s not as cohesive and fine-tuned as Black on Both Sides. While Mos’s wit and lyrical ability are still present, some of the tracks lack the same potency and timeless quality as his earlier work. While not a bad album, in my opinion, it’s a bit overly experimental in a way that doesn’t always pay off and doesn’t hold up as well as his first two projects.
After that, Mos would continue his acting career and make frequent appearances on tracks by popular artists. He was featured on the Kanye West song Two Words from his debut album The College Dropout, which is one of the best performances of his entire career, in my opinion. He also appeared on the title track to the Roots 2006 album Rising Down, alongside Styles P and Dice Raw.
Mos also continued his acting career and starred in films like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Journey to the End of the Night. He also voiced the character Gangstalicious on the hit animated series The Boondocks and played himself in Dave Chapelle’s Block Party and Talladega Nights, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
True Magic
In December 2006, Mos dropped his third album, True Magic, which is widely regarded as his worst project. It was released haphazardly by his label after it leaked online and the physical copy was initially sold in a clear plastic booklet without cover art or a booklet.
It was a lackluster effort that was turned in to fulfill Mos’s contractual obligation to Geffen Records. It failed to chart commercially and received mixed reviews from critics. However, it does have a few inspired moments, such as Dollar Day or Murder or a Teenage Life, that hardcore fans will appreciate.
Over the next few years, Mos would take a break from music but continued acting and starred in the films Be Kind Rewind and Cadillac Records.
The Ecstatic
He returned to music in June 2009, with the release of his fourth studio album, the Ecstatic, released on the independent label Downtown Records. The Ecstatic was met by widespread critical acclaim and received much more positively than his past two records.
The project had a more global sound that borrowed from international genres like Latin, afrobeat, Eurodance, and Arabic music. His lyrics were poignant and focused on a wide range of topics that reflected the social conditions of the late 2000s. The album also had a slightly experimental quality with unconventional time signatures and eclectic samples, which gave it a totally unique sound.
The Ecstatic is one of my all-time favorite Mos Def projects. After Black on Both Sides, it’s his most essential album and he sounds much hungrier and more passionate than on his past two albums. It also has an innovative and worldly that borrowed from other cultures but stayed true to hip hop.
Later Career & Retirement
Despite the critical acclaim of the Ecstatic, the project failed to generate much mainstream attention outside of Mos’s core fanbase, and over the years, his musical output decreased.
In 2011, he legally changed his name to Yasiin Bey and stopped going by Mos Def. He would continue to make occasional guest appearances in films and other artist’s music but never released another official studio album.
In 2016, he announced via Kanye West‘s website that he was officially retiring from acting and music. Although he’s taken a step back from the spotlight over the past few years, he hasn’t disappeared completely.
In 2019, he released a project called Negus, an album that was part of an art installation that ran at the Brooklyn Museum for several weeks. Listeners could only hear the album if they attended the exhibit. Mos has stated that he has no plans to release the project on streaming services or anywhere else and solely exists in the confines of the exhibit.
Black Star reunited in 2022 for their long-awaited follow-up album No Fear of Time. It was released exclusively on the podcasting platform Luminary and received general acclaim from critics.
Mos Def Video
Mos Def Retirement
Mos Def announced his retirement from music and acting in 2016, through a post on Kanye West‘s official website.
The message read, “I’m retiring from the music recording industry as it is currently assembled today, and also from Hollywood, effective immediately. I’m releasing my final album this year. And that’s that.”
However, he has continued to work on music sporadically. But he has not released any new music through traditional distribution methods such as streaming services.
Mos Def Family
Mos Def is the oldest of 12 siblings and half-siblings, including one of his earliest collaborators, Ilias Bey, aka DCQ.
It’s not clear how many children Mos Def has. He has at least two daughters with his ex-wife Maria Yepes named Jauhara and Chandani Smith. Other reports say that he has as many as six children with four different women. However, this is unconfirmed.
Mos Def Dating and Relationship
Mos Def married Maria Yepes in 1996. The couple were married for ten years and had two kids together. However, they eventually divorced in 2006. The same year, Maria took Mos to court over unpaid child support, claiming that he was $2,000 short of the $10,000 h was required to pay.
Toward the end of his marriage to Yepes, Mos married another woman named Alana Wyatt Smith in Toronto, Canada. But they broke up just a few months after tying the knot. Mos has mostly stayed out of the public eye for the past few years, so it’s not clear who he’s currently dating or if he has remarried.
Mos Def Controversies or Scandals
In 2016, Mos Def was arrested in South Africa for using an invalid passport and living in the country illegally. Mos had been living in Cape Town with his family since 2013 but was not permitted to stay for an extended period.
He was caught after trying to use a World Passport, a document issued by a non-profit organization called the World Service Authority that is not recognized by many countries. Mos was subsequently arrested and detained during a lengthy court battle. He was eventually allowed to leave but was labeled an “undesirable person” by the country and barred from ever returning.
Mos Def Net Worth and Career Earnings
Mos Def has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. He’s released four studio albums and two albums with Talib Kweli as Black Star. He’s also appeared in classic films like the Italian Job, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Be Kind Rewind. Most of his money comes from music and film royalties.
Mos Def Famous Quotes
- “Fear not of men because men must die. Mind over matter and soul before flesh.” – Mos Def
- “They say that when a man faces his destiny, the destiny ends and he becomes the man that he really is.” – Mos Def
- “I give a damn if any fan recalls my legacy, I’m trying to live life in the sight of GOD’s memory.”- Mos Def
Mos Def Discography & Full Credit
Solo Career
- 1999 – Black on Both Sides
- 2004 – The New Danger
- 2006 – True Magic
- 2009 – The Ecstatic
- 2019 – Negus
Collaborative Albums
- 1998 – Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (with Talib Kweli)
- 2004 – Manifest Destiny (with Ces and DCQ)
- 2016 – December 99th (with Ferrari Sheppard)
- 2022 – No Fear of Time (with Talib Kweli)
FAQs
Answer: Mos decided he’d had enough of the famous lifestyle and has taken a step back from the spotlight to focus on himself and his family. He still occasionally performs and has worked with younger talent such as JID and ASAP Rocky. But he’s also voiced disdain for the current landscape of the music and film industries and simply doesn’t want to be a part of it anymore.
Answer: Yasiin is a name that comes from the 36th Surah of the Koran. Mos is a devout Muslim who converted as a teenager. He claims that he’s been known to friends and family as Yasiin since 1999 but decided to change it in the public sphere because he felt Mos Def was becoming a brand name, not a person. The shift coincided with a legal name change, and he’s been known as Yasiin ever since.
Answer: Yes, Mos Def is still a part of Black Star. The group released their long-anticipated sophomore album in 2022, 24 years after the release of their first album. However, Black Star was never a consistent project, and both artists always had their own respective solo careers outside of the group.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Def
- https://thevogue.com/artists/mos-def/
- https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2005-La-Pr/Mos-Def.html
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080049/bio
- https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-rappers/mos-def-net-worth/
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mos-def-mn0000927416/biography
- https://www.essence.com/news/yasiin-bey-mos-def-announces-retirement-pleads-leave-south-africa/#:~:text=Yasiin%20Bey%E2%80%94the%20artist%20formerly,on%20Kanye%20West’s%20officially%20website.
- https://www.thestar.com/news/2008/06/29/scenes_from_a_hiphop_marriage.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-38065758
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