Yasiin Bey
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def (/ˌmoʊs ˈdɛf/), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such as police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the social status of African Americans.
"Dante Smith" redirects here. For the basketball player, see Donta Smith.
Yasiin Bey
Dante Terrell Smith
- Mos Def (1994–2011)
- Black Dante
- Dante Beze
- Flaco
- El-Bey the Moor
December 11, 1973
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- actor
- activist
1987–present
6
He launched his hip hop recording career in 1994 and joined his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD), and on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. In 1996, he and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Black Star, whose debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998) was supported by the singles "Definition" and "Respiration". He released his solo debut, Black on Both Sides in 1999, followed by The New Danger (2004), True Magic (2006), and The Ecstatic (2009).[4] His 2000 single, "Oh No" (with Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Dogg) remains his sole entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo act.[5] In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".[6]
A former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, Bey has appeared in the films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, The Woodsman, Bamboozled, and Brown Sugar and in television series such as Dexter and House.[7] He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007.
Early life[edit]
Yasiin Bey was born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York City,[8] the son of Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith.[9] The eldest of 12 children and step-children, he was raised by his mother in Brooklyn, while his father lived in New Jersey.[10]
His father was initially a member of the Nation of Islam and later followed Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who merged into the mainstream Sunni Islam from the Nation of Islam. Bey was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13. He is close friends with fellow Muslim hip-hop artists Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip.[9]
Bey attended middle school at Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he developed his love for acting.[10][11] After returning from filming You Take the Kids in Los Angeles, and getting into a relationship with an older girl, Bey dropped out of high school during sophomore year.[10] Growing up in New York City, during the crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s, he has spoken about witnessing widespread instances of gang violence, theft, and poverty in society, which he largely avoided by working on plays, Off-Off-Broadway and arts programs.[11] In a particularly traumatic childhood experience, Bey witnessed his then five-year-old younger brother, Ilias Bey (born Denard Smith), get hit by a car. Ilias later adopted the alias DCQ and was described by Bey as "my first partner in hip hop".[11]
Acting career[edit]
Beginnings as child actor[edit]
Prior to his career in music, Bey entered public life as a child actor, having played roles in television movies, sitcoms and theater, some of which were under the name Dante Beze.[63][64] At the age of 14, he appeared in the TV movie God Bless the Child, starring Mare Winningham, which aired on ABC in 1988.[65] He played the oldest child in the 1990 family sitcom You Take the Kids, shortly before it was cancelled. In 1995, he played the character Dante, Bill Cosby's sidekick on the short-lived detective show The Cosby Mysteries. In 1996, he starred in a Visa check card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. He also had a small role alongside Michael Jackson in his short film and music video Ghosts (1996).
Feature films, theater and television[edit]
After brief appearances in Bamboozled and Monster's Ball, Bey played a rapper who is reluctant to sign with a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated for an Image Award and a Teen Choice Award.[66]
In 2001, he took a supporting role to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.
In 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance.[67] He played Left Ear in the 2003 film The Italian Job. That same year, he appeared in the Alicia Keys music video You Don't Know My Name.
In television, Bey has appeared on NYPD Blue,[68] Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, and hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show Def Poetry.[69] He also appeared on the sitcom My Wife and Kids as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).
Bey won "Best Actor, Independent Movie" at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. For his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in HBO's film Something the Lord Made, he was nominated for an Emmy[70] and a Golden Globe, and won the Image Award. He also played a bandleader in HBO's Lackawanna Blues. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
In 2006, Bey appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party alongside Black Star partner Talib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. He was also featured as the banjo player in the Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes, though his appearance was edited out of the DVD. He starred in the action film 16 Blocks alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He also landed a recurring guest role on Boondocks, starring as Gangstalicious. He is set to be in Toussaint, a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes.[71] He made a cameo appearance as himself in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In 2007, Bey narrated the PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves.
In 2008, Bey starred in the Michel Gondry movie Be Kind Rewind, playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-star Jack Black. He also portrayed Chuck Berry in the film Cadillac Records, for which he was nominated for a Black Reel Award and an Image Award.
In 2009, he appeared in the House episode titled "Locked In" as a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. His performance was well received, with E! saying that Mos Def "delivers an Emmy-worthy performance".[72] He was also in the 2009 film Next Day Air.
In 2010, he appeared on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero. He also appeared in A Free Man of Color, John Guare's play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.[73]
In 2011, he began a multi-episode appearance on the sixth season of Showtime television series Dexter. He played Brother Sam, an ex-convict who has supposedly found religion despite finding himself in violent situations.[74]
In January 2016, Bey announced his retirement from the music and the film industries on Kanye West's website. In March 2016, it was announced that he had been attached to star in "his last live-action film", The Disconnected, a science fiction thriller dealing with policing, identity, and the intersection of technology and humanity.[75]
Social and political views[edit]
In 2000, paired with Talib Kweli, Bey organized the Hip Hop for Respect project to speak out against police brutality. It was created in response to the 1999 police shooting of Amadou Diallo, and sought to accumulate 41 artists to the roster, one to match each of the 41 gunshots fired on Diallo.
Bey is well known for his leftist activism.[76] In 2000, he performed a benefit concert for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.[77] In May 2005, Bey, Talib Kweli, R&B singer Martin Luther and City Councilman Charles Barron approached New York City Hall, demanding the withdrawal of the $1 million bounty for Assata Shakur.[78]
In September 2005, Bey released the single "Katrina Clap", renamed "Dollar Day" for True Magic (utilizing the instrumental for New Orleans rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap"). The song is a criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. On the night of the MTV Video Music Awards, Bey pulled up in front of Radio City Music Hall on a flatbed truck and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front of a crowd that quickly gathered around him. He was subsequently arrested for not having a public performance permit in his possession.[79]
In October 2006, Bey appeared on 4Real, a documentary television series.[80] Appearing in the episode "City of God", he and the 4Real crew traveled to City of God, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and learn about the crime and social problems of the community.[81]
On September 7, 2007, Bey appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher where he spoke about racism against African Americans, citing the government response to Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six case, and the murder conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal. He appeared on Real Time again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk of nuclear weapons.[82]
In September 2011, Bey joined the cast of the environmental children's hip hop musical Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Written By Nature as narrator. In July 2013, he appeared in a short film released by the human rights organization Reprieve, depicting the forced-feeding methods used at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps. This transpired after a document containing the military instructions for the procedure was leaked.[83][84]
In September 2018, Bey and advertising executive Free Richardson opened an art exhibition to the public in an art gallery in the South Bronx, called the Compound, centered around hip-hop and fine art. The goal of this gallery was to help bridge the gap between the two fields, by showcasing artists from marginalized backgrounds who normally would not be represented in art galleries. Art forms with negative connotations, such as graffiti, as presented in a more optimal context. "The purpose of the gallery is to say all art is equal," Mr. Richardson said. "But we are in the borough that created hip-hop, which is the biggest art form in the world, so it's always an extending arm. It's always present."[85]
Legacy[edit]
About.com ranked him #14 on its list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time,[6] and The Source ranked him #23 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[86] AllMusic called him one of the most promising rappers to emerge in the late 1990s,[87] and one of hip-hop's brightest hopes entering the 21st century.[19] He has influenced numerous hip hop artists throughout his career, including Lupe Fiasco, Jay Electronica, Kid Cudi, and Saigon, and Logic.[88][89][90] Kendrick Lamar once mentioned him as a very early inspiration as a young rapper, though Lamar denied being a part of the conscious rap movement.[91] He has also directly influenced artists outside of hip-hop, including English singer-songwriters Adele and Amy Winehouse.[92][93]
Personal life[edit]
Bey married Maria Yepes in 1996. He filed for divorce from Yepes in 2006.[94] She took him to court over failure in child-support obligations, paying $2,000 short of the monthly $10,000 he is ordered to pay for their two daughters.[95][96] He has four other children.[97]
His mother Sheron "Umi" Smith has actively managed portions of her son's career.[98] She is a motivational speaker, and authored the book Shine Your Light: A Life Skills Workbook, where she details her experience as a single mother raising him.[99]
In January 2016, Bey was ordered to leave South Africa and not return for five years, having stayed in the country illegally on an expired tourist visa granted in May 2013.[100] That month, he was charged with using an unrecognized World Passport and having lived illegally in South Africa since 2014.[101][102] He had reportedly recruited Kanye West to help defend him, and posted a message on West's website announcing his retirement from show business.[103][104] There was an ongoing court case in relation to immigration offenses involving the artist and his family.[105][106] He was allowed to leave South Africa on November 22, 2016, but he was barred from coming back.[107]