Dante Terrell Smith-Bey started his hip hop career in 1994 in a band called Urban Thermo Dynamics.  Better known by his stage name, Mos Def, he embarked on a solo career in 1996.  Before releasing any solo work of his own, he worked with hip hop groups, De La Soul and Da Bush Babees.

Mos Def

I'm a hustler.   And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.

The Early Years

Dante Terrell Smith-Bey started his hip hop career in 1994 in a band called Urban Thermo Dynamics.  Better known by his stage name, Mos Def, he embarked on a solo career in 1996.  Before releasing any solo work of his own, he worked with hip hop groups, De La Soul and Da Bush Babees.  He signed with Rawkus Records and formed a group with emcee Talib Kweli, called Black Star.  They released one album, entitled Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star.

Black on Both Sides was released in 1999, and was the debut album for Mos Def as a solo artist.  The album peaked at #25 on the Billboard Top 200 and at #3 on the US R&B chart.  The singles, Respiration and Definition both went on to appear on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.  Black on Both Sides was a commercial success, certifying gold in sales.

A Successful Career

By the time Mos Def had released his first solo album, he had played small roles in four movies.  From 2000 through 2004, he had carried roles of varying importance in ten more feature films, including The Italian Job and Monster’s Ball.  In 2004, he released his next album, The New Danger.  Rawkus Records had collapsed and he was now recording with Interscope/Geffen Records.   A combination of soul, blues, and rock, the album contained the single, Ghetto Rock, which received several Grammy nominations.

In 2005, Mos Def starred in the miniseries, Something The Lord Made, which earned him nominations for an Emmy Award, A Golden Globe, and an Image Award.  In the same year, he starred in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  He appeared in seven more movies through the end of 2007.  His 2006 album, True Magic, was released in a plain clear case with no cover art and was not promoted by him or by Geffen.  Even with no fanfare, the album sold over 50,000 units.

Present and Future

At the beginning of 2009, he appeared in the movie, Next Day Air and he currently has four movies in production.  His 2009 album, The Ecstatic, The album debuted at #39 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and sold 39,000 copies in the first week.  It peaked at #2 on the US Rap chart, at #9 on the Billboard Top 200, and at #5 on the US R&B chart.  It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

Over the years, Mos Def has collaborated with fellow artists on nine different albums, most recently on the track, Stylo, on the album, Plastic Beach, with the Gorillaz. He has made guest appearances on a number of albums throughout his career as well.

Did you know . . .

• Mos Def has designed two pairs of Converse shoes, which were made available at Foot Locker stores in August of 2009.

• He drew criticism from his fans about “keeping it real” when he starred in a commercial for the GMC Denali SUV.

• Mos Def has been born into Islam.

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