Dec 1, 1973

Brooklyn, New York City, USA

Dante Terrell Smith, best known by stage name Mos Def, is a critically acclaimed rapper and actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City and is Muslim. He also goes by the stage names "Mighty Mos Def," "The Freaky Night Watchman," "Boogie Man," "Black Dante," "Dante Beze," "Doo Doo Dante," "M-Defa", "Pretty Flaco," "Flaco Bey," "Sodium-Phosphate-oner" and "Dr. Golfballs."
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Mos Def began his music career in 1994 with the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics with his younger brothe... ... (read more...) r DCQ, and his younger sister Ces. Despite their contract with Payday Records, the group only released two singles and the group's debut album, Manifest Destiny, did not see the light of day until 2004 (see 2004 in music) when it was released through Illson Media. In 1996, he emerged as a solo artist and worked with De La Soul and da Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic", which was a huge underground hit.

After signing with Rawkus Records, Mos Def and Talib Kweli formed the group, Black Star, and released a full length album under the name, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star. The album was released in 1998 and featured Hi-Tek producing most of the tracks.

Mos Def released his solo debut also on Rawkus Records, Black on Both Sides, in 1999 (see 1999 in music). Def was also featured on Rawkus' influential Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing series compilations. After the collapse of Rawkus, he and Kweli signed on to Interscope/Geffen Records, which released his second solo album, The New Danger, in 2004. Mos Def has drawn some criticism from his fan base about "keeping it real," after he appeared in a commercial that endorsed the GMC Denali sport utility vehicle.[1] Mos Def released True Magic, his last solo album on Geffen Records, on December 29, 2006.

Grammy Award nominations were announced for 2007, and "Undeniable" was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. "Ghetto Rock" from his 2004 album The New Danger, was also nominated in this category at the 2005 Grammy's.
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Mos began his professional acting career at the age of 14, appearing in the TV movie God Bless the Child, starring Mare Winningham. He then played the oldest child in the short-lived family sitcom, You Take the Kids, starring Nell Carter and Roger E. Mosley. His most notable acting role before his music career was that of Bill Cosby's sidekick on the short-lived detective show, The Cosby Mysteries.

After brief appearances in Bamboozled and Monster's Ball, Mos re-invigorated his acting career with his performance as a talented rapper who is reluctant to sign to a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated for an Image Award and a Teen Choice Award.

Notably in 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He also received positive notices as the quirky Left Ear in the blockbuster hit, The Italian Job.

He has also appeared on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show.
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In 2004, he hosted the MOBO awards in London.

He has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, Def Poetry since its inception. The show's fifth season aired in 2005.

Mos won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of the skeptical 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 Award, a Golden Globe, and won the Image Award. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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In 2006, Mos Def appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party alongside fellow Black Star companion Talib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. Also, Mos Def was featured as the black banjo player in the infamous "Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. He was later edited out of it on the dvd. Additionally, Mos Def is in the motion picture 16 Blocks along with co-stars Bruce Willis and David Morse. During the first season of Boondocks, Mos was given the opportunity of starring as "Ganstalicious". He is also set to be in Toussaint, a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. He made a cameo appearance in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.