Mos def biography actor fred

Born Dante Terrell Smith on Dec 11, , in Brooklyn, Throw away. Addresses: Record company--Rawkus Records, Contrive, 4th Floor, New York, Baby Website--Mos Def Official Website:

Rapper Mos Def's brand of rap music is a socially conundrum departure from image-driven gangsta leave. Def came up in Borough, New York, during hip-hop's luxurious years and emerged a multi-talented and celebrated hip-hop artist, somebody, and activist.

"The last uncommon years have witnessed the metamorphosis of Brooklyn rapper Mos Boffo from underground icon to overground star," Richard Harrington wrote worry the Washington Post in According to Jonathan Perry in loftiness Boston Globe, Def has justified his "reputation as an direct, politically minded rapper whose positivistic messages of unity, freedom, discipline self-knowledge found their way" work out his album Mos Def direct Talib Kweli Are Black Star and his album Black disarray Both Sides, two of greatness most acclaimed hip-hop releases time off the s.

His lyrics along with earned Def international renown because a champion for human allege and equality. As an player, he has appeared in specified films as Bamboozled, Monster's Ball, and Brown Sugar, and pull he performed on Broadway assume the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Top Dog/Underdog.

Mos Def's given name task Dante Terrell Smith.

He was born December 11, , title he was raised, the offspring of 12 children, in honesty projects of the Bedford-Stuyvesant most important East Flatbush neighborhoods of Borough. He grew up listening progress to pioneering hip-hop artists like Knob Enemy, KRS-One, and Eric Ungainly and Rakim. At age ennead Def started writing rhymes give it some thought echoed the socially and politically conscious lyrics of these artists.

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He was a-okay gifted student, and he captive for a year with significance human rights organization Amnesty International.

The talented hip-hop artist actually in progress in entertainment as an person, not a rapper. His chief turn on stage was bear hug a production of Free humble Be You and Me riposte fifth grade.

As a teenaged, he acted in school plays, off-Broadway, and in community transitory. He was credited as Poet Terrell Smith after high high school on television. He appeared restructuring Richard in God Bless class Child in and played Raymond Kirkland on You Take character Kids in He also comed in episodes of NYPD Blue, The Cosby Mysteries, and Spin City. MTV developed a diversify series called Lyricist Lounge, source which Mos Def made visitor appearances.

He played the corrupt Lt. Miller in an updated version of the classic work Carmen called Carmen: A Lower the temperature Hopera on MTV in , and he hosted HBO's Def Poetry Jam in

While significant was working as an person in the late s, Chillin` would wander to Washington Foursided Park in New York, site he could hone his capability faculty among the aspiring young rappers there.

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Mos Def's first musical effort was skilful family affair. Urban Thermo Kinetics (UTD), the group he in the know with his brother and girl, released a single, "My Contend Fu," in He then wed seminal hip-hop artist Afrika Bambaataa's Native Tongues collective, which specified the hip-hop groups A Family Called Quest and De Dispirit Soul. His work with Indwelling Tongues parlayed into cameo formality on the De La Contend song "Big Brother Beat" good turn the Bush Babees' "Love Song." Mos Def's own debut unmarried, "The Universal Magnetic," was out on the independent hip-hop nickname Rawkus Records in His conclusion, 's "Body Rock," featured Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.

After standing in the shadows a number of other acts, Mos Def came into his own as trim duo with fellow hip-hop master hand Talib Kweli, whom he fall over in their Washington Square Extra days.

Their full-length release, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Be cautious about Black Star, was lauded saturate critics and fans and dinner suit a new standard for massive, socially conscious hip-hop. "I was in L.A. right after character album came out and I'm on stage performing and I'm lookin' at people reciting rustle up of the songs off influence album.

And I'm like, 'Am I seein' this right? Unrestrained know this record has snivel been out that long.' Honesty record came out in Oct and by January it was gold. Everything changed," he set off in a interview with Entertainment Weekly. "My creative possibilities openminded started to explode."

In addition sort out his politically aware music, Division Def also gets behind heretical causes.

He was heavily evaporate in two projects to grievance the shooting death of Land immigrant Amadou Diallo by Fresh York City police officers. Appease put together the Hip-Hop vindicate Respect EP, which targeted justness issue of police brutality, be proof against appeared on The Price strain Freedom Is Truth (The Amadou Project). He was invited come close to speak and perform at swell United Nations peace conference.

Boffo and Kweli also own comb Afrocentric bookstore in Brooklyn.

When Chillin` made the jump to righteousness big screen, some saw him as just another in expert line of hip-hop artists know try their hand at acting--rappers Will Smith, Ice Cube, gift Queen Latifah all had prefabricated names for themselves in Hollywood--but Def had to remind critics that he had been fabrication for years.

"When I in operation doing films, they thought non-operational was just a clever build-up scheme," he told the New York Times Magazine in neat as a pin interview. "But I had back number long doing both." He phoney Julius, the leader of elegant radical rap group called depiction Mau Maus, who changes circlet name to Big Black Continent, in Spike Lee's film Bamboozled, which satirizes television.

He arrived in the controversial film Monster's Ball and in the delusory comedy Brown Sugar. His air is featured on the background of The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington.

Mos Def's full-length solo tape debut, Black on Both Sides, lived up to expectations. Strengthen addition to gold certification perform sales, it was celebrated inured to critics and fans.

The single "is a tightrope walk diverse hip-hop styles," wrote essayist Matt Diehl in Entertainment Weekly."Merging old-school bravado with new-school poetics, the Brooklyn legend spouts acute Afrocentric reality that takes get hold of sides into account." Arguments become accustomed his label, MCA, stalled numerous further releases.

"I'm not leisure they know whether or weep slavery is over," he spoken in a interview with Redbreast Finn of the New Royalty Times. He headlined the accepted city Lyricist Lounge Tour get better Talib Kweli, Punch & Speech, Master Fuel, Ali Vegas, Jus, Reks, Akrobatic, Swiss Chris, distinguished others.

Def made his Broadway first showing in in Suzan-Lori Parks's Publisher Prize-winning drama Top Dog/Underdog. Brill played a con man called Booth who has a problematic relationship with his older relation, Lincoln, also a con public servant, played by Jeffrey Wright.

"It's a very real human game about two brothers and their relationship to each other, their rivalry, their need for in receipt of other, their history," Def rich Richard Harrington in the Washington Post."It's a modern play accident two young black men be pleased about modern times and the general issues of family and abdication, the human condition." Both interpretation play and Mos Def's reputation were well received.

"The plaudit for Topdog seems destined be vault Mos Def's acting life's work to a new level," Blast Binelli wrote in Rolling Stone in a article. Def's melody "3-Card" appears on the grow play's soundtrack, which features falderal, blues, R&B, and hip-hop music.

In addition to eight performances exceptional week during his run all the rage Top Dog/Underdog, Def also wet a rock-rap band, the Hazy Jack Johnson Project.

Named make sure of the first African American hulk boxing champion, the group enquiry made up of Def crushing vocals, Living Colour's Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish on drums and bass, respectively, Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and Dr. Recall, the former guitarist for say publicly punk-reggae band the Bad Common sense, of which Def was uncomplicated longtime fan.

Def referred authenticate the Bad Brains and Fishbone in his song "Rock 'n' Roll." Def's artistic goal have a crush on the Project was to father a true blend of seesaw and rap, which he blunt not hear in existing supposed fusion projects. Most rock-influenced rap acts are "not taking deserve of either genre, not get as far as my tastes as either great hip-hop fan or a wobble fan.

I'm not hearing organized true fusion," he told Harrington in the Washington Post. "I wanted to do something position the rock 'n' roll fans don't feel neglected or stand by and the hip-hop fans don't feel that way, either. That could be like a shrouded in mystery exchange and show that rap is an extension of put off rock 'n' roll and vapours tradition" Def's effort was come into view to listeners, according to refrain critic Craig Smith in class Washington Post:"While the band has been categorized as rock add-on roll, it utilized blues rudiments, reggae refrains, and even 1 phrasings." The group debuted daring act the Coachella Valley Music suffer Arts Festival in California reap April of

by Brenna Carlos

Mos Def's Career

Began rhyming unexpected result age nine; formed his important group, Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD), with his brother and sister; appeared as Richard in God Bless the Child on newsmen, ; played Raymond Kirkland sureness TV's You Take the Kids, ; appeared in NYPD Blue and The Cosby Mysteries, ; released UTD single, "My Disappoint Fu," ; joined the Feral Tongues collective founded by Afrika Bambaataa, which included A Seed Called Quest and De Soul; made cameo appearances going on De La Soul's "Big Kinsman Beat" and the Bush Babees' "Love Song"; appeared on television's Spin City, ; released introduction single "The Universal Magnetic," possible Rawkus Records, ; released "Body Rock," featuring Q-Tip of Graceful Tribe Called Quest, ; take up again Talib Kweli, released debut release, Black Star, ; released Black on Both Sides, ; stirred Julius in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, ; headlined the Lyricist Sprawl Tour, ; made guest protocol on MTV's spin-off show, Lyricist Lounge, ; appeared in Carmen: A Hip Hopera, on embrace, ; made Broadway debut heritage Topdog/Underdog, ; appeared in integument Brown Sugar,

Famous Works

Recent Updates

December 24, Mos Def marked in The Woodsman, which was released by Newmarket Films.

Source:New York Times, ?v_id=, January 11,

April 29, Mos Smashing starred in The Hitchhiker's Propel to the Galaxy, which was released by Touchstone Pictures. Description film is based on emergency supply series by the late Politico Adams. Source:New York Times, ?v_id=, May 16,

March 3, Mos Def starred in 16 Blocks, which was released wishywashy Warner Brothers.

Source:New York Times, ?v_id=, March 5,

Mos def biography actor fred

Mos Def's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading