Dante Terrell Smith-Bey (born December 11, 1973)
[allmusic Biography] is an American
actor and
MC 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. With
Talib Kweli, he formed the duo
Black Star, who released the 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 the albums
Black on Both Sides in 1999,
The New Danger in 2004,
True Magic in 2006, and
The Ecstatic in 2009.
Initially recognized for his musical output, Mos Def's screen work since the early 2000s has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who have garnered critical approval for their acting work. Mos Def has also been active on several social and political issues and was particularly vocal in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
