Dante Terrell Smith (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.
Early life
Mos Def was born
Dante Terrell Smith in the
Roosevelt Houses of
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn,
New York City,
[You're Gonna Serve Somebody] the son of Darrell Toler. He has two younger brothers, Abdul Rahman (a.k.a. "Gold Medal Man," who is Mos's full-time
DJ) and
Anwar Superstar. He also has a younger sister, Ces (Casey) Smith, and another younger brother Jermone Victor Moulton who resides in Brooklyn and shares the same mother Umi Smith. Mos Def and his brothers are all converts to
Islam.
[RapReviews.com Medina Green Interview] Mos Def was first exposed to Islam at age 13 by his father. He became a Muslim at age 19 after getting to know Muslim rappers including
Ali Shaheed Muhammad and
Q-Tip of the group
A Tribe Called Quest.
Mos Def grew up during the
golden age of hip-hop and has been rapping and acting since he was six years old. He attended
Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
