Mos Def

Mos Def
Def performing at the 2012 Ilosaarirock festival
Background information
Birth name	Dante Terrell Smith
Also known as	Yasiin Bey Black Dante Dante Beze Flaco El-Bey the Moor
Born	(1973-12-11) December 11, 1973 (age 51) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Alternative hip hop[1] conscious hip hop[2] progressive rap[3]
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter record producer actor activist
Instruments	Vocals keyboards bass guitar sampler drums
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Downtown GOOD Geffen Rawkus Priority
Member of	Black Star
Formerly of	Crooklyn Dodgers Dec 99th Soulquarians

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973)^[4] is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def 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. He formed the duo Black Star with Talib Kweli and they released the well-received album Black Star in 1998. He was a major force in the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion spearheaded by Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released three albums Black on Both Sides (1999) The New Danger (2004), and True Magic (2006).^[4]

1. ↑ Reese, Eric (2018). "Rise of Hip-Hop in the 2000's". The History of Hip Hop: Volume 1. Barnes & Noble Press. ISBN 9781538076798.
2. ↑ Johnson, Josh (May 27, 2014). "Steal This Track from Courier GT". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
3. ↑ O'Connor, Christopher (March 29, 2000). "Common Moves Toward a Progressive Hip-Hop". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} allmusic Biography