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Yasiin Bey

Yasiin Bey

Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def, is an American retired rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor.

Regarded as one of hip hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def, has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996), he became an underground favorite in the hip-hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. He followed with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip hop back to its soapbox roots.

He was a former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, and continued acting as an adult after launching his rap career. He appeared in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007.

He completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning, Topdog/Underdog. He then re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play Fucking A, for which he earned an Obie Award.

In 2003, he starred in The Italian Job alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. In 2004, he starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. He was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role.

He continued his music career by releasing his highly anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (2004). The first single, "Sex, Love and Money" earned him a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance, and the album has been certified gold by the RIAA.

The following year, he appeared alongside Bruce Willis in the crime thriller 16 Blocks (2006), in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, and had a cameo appearance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Also in 2006, he released his third solo album, True Magic.

The next year, he appeared in the 2007 PBS historical documentary, Prince Among Slaves, and in 2008 he played the role of Chuck Berry in Cadillac Records. In 2009, he released the album The Ecstatic, which proved to be his second highest-charting album to date. He then appeared in the urban comedy Next Day Air, and (as himself) in the 2010 mockumentary film I’m Still Here, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

Mos Def announced in September of 2011 that he changed his name to Yasiin Bey, and would go by it henceforth. In the first month of 2016, Bey declared his retirement from both the film and music industries.

In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".

Gorillaz | MTV World Stage

2023

as Mos Def

Part of Me

2023

as Himself

Hargrove

2022

as Self

jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

2022

as Self (archive footage)

You're Watching Video Music Box

2021

as Self (archive footage)

Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light

2021

Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize

2020

as Self

Gorillaz: Reject False Icons

2019

as Mos Def

French Tour

2016

as Focé

Amy

2015

as Self

Life of Crime

2013

as Ordell Robbie

Begin Again

2013

as Saul

Standard Operating Procedure

2013

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

2012

as Self

Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

2011

as Self

I'm Still Here

2010

as Mos Def

Bouncing Cats

2010

The Making of Plastic Beach

2010

as Mos Def

Next Day Air

2009

as Eric

Cadillac Records

2008

as Chuck Berry

Prince Among Slaves

2008

as Narrator

Be Kind Rewind

2008

as Mike

In Prison My Whole Life

2008

as Self

Dexter

2006

as Brother Sam

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

2006

as Mos Def

Journey to the End of the Night

2006

as Wemba

16 Blocks

2006

as Eddie Bunker (as Mos Def)

Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops

2006

The Boondocks

2005

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

2005

as Self - (as Mos Def)

Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'

2005

as Self

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2005

as Ford Prefect

Lackawanna Blues

2005

as The Bandleader

The Woodsman

2004

as Sgt. Lucas

House

2004

as Lee

Something the Lord Made

2004

as Vivien Thomas

Civil Brand

2003

as Michael Meadows

The Italian Job

2003

as Left Ear

Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2003

as Himself

Chappelle's Show

2003

as Self - Black Star

Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!

2003

as Self

Brown Sugar

2002

as Chris Anton 'Cav' Vichon

Showtime

2002

as Lazy Boy

The Proud Family

2001

as Mos Def (voice)

Monster's Ball

2001

as Ryrus Cooper

Carmen: A Hip Hopera

2001

as Lt. Miller

My Wife and Kids

2001

Bamboozled

2000

as Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika

Island of the Dead

2000

as Robbie J

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme

2000

as Himself

Where's Marlowe?

1998

as Wilt Crawley

Brooklyn South

1997

as Darius

Ghosts

1997

as Dante

Spin City

1996

as Monty

The Cosby Mysteries

1994

Here and Now

1992

as Alonzo

HBO First Look

1992

as Self

The Hard Way

1991

as Dead Romeos

You Take the Kids

1990

as Raymond Kirkland

God Bless the Child

1988

as Richard Watkins

Tony Awards

1956

as Self - Performer