Yasiin Bey
Biografia
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor. Regarded as one of hip hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def, has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996), he became an underground favorite in the hip-hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. He followed with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip hop back to its soapbox roots. He was a former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, and continued acting as an adult after launching his rap career. He appeared in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007. He completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning, Topdog/Underdog. He then re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play Fucking A, for which he earned an Obie Award. In 2003, he starred in The Italian Job alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. In 2004, he starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. He was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role. He continued his music career by releasing his highly anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (2004). The first single, "Sex, Love and Money" earned him a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance, and the album has been certified gold by the RIAA. The following year, he appeared alongside Bruce Willis in the crime thriller 16 Blocks (2006), in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, and had a cameo appearance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Also in 2006, he released his third solo album, True Magic. The next year, he appeared in the 2007 PBS historical documentary, Prince Among Slaves, and in 2008 he played the role of Chuck Berry in Cadillac Records. In 2009, he released the album The Ecstatic, which proved to be his second highest-charting album to date. He then appeared in the urban comedy Next Day Air, and (as himself) in the 2010 mockumentary film I’m Still Here, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Mos Def announced in September of 2011 that he changed his name to Yasiin Bey, and would go by it henceforth. In the first month of 2016, Bey declared his retirement from both the film and music industries. In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".
Filmografia
Filmy i seriale od najnowszych
Gorillaz: Live at Rock Werchter 2026
Film • 2026
Together for Palestine
Film • 2025
jako Self
Gorillaz | MTV World Stage
Film • 2023
jako Mos Def
Part of Me
Film • 2023
jako Himself
Hargrove
Film • 2022
jako Self
jeen-yuhs: Trylogia Kanye
Serial • 2022
jako Self (archive footage)
You're Watching Video Music Box
Film • 2021
jako Self (archive footage)
Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light
Film • 2021
Gorillaz: Reject False Icons
Film • 2019
jako Mos Def
Tour de France
Film • 2016
jako Focé
Amy
Film • 2015
jako Self
Zacznijmy od nowa
Film • 2014
jako Saul
Anatomia zemsty
Film • 2013
jako Ordell Robbie
Standard Operating Procedure
Film • 2013
Coś z niczego: Sztuka rapu
Film • 2012
jako Self
A Man's Story
Film • 2011
jako Self
A Tribe Called Quest. Życie w rytmie bitów
Film • 2011
jako Self
I'm Still Here
Film • 2010
jako Mos Def
Gorillaz: Live at Roundhouse in London
Film • 2010
jako Mos Def
Bouncing Cats
Film • 2010
The Making of Plastic Beach
Film • 2010
jako Mos Def
Przesyłka priorytetowa
Film • 2009
jako Eric
Cadillac Records
Film • 2008
jako Chuck Berry
Fats Waller Was Born Here
Film • 2008
jako "Fats" Wallter/Mike (as Mos Def)
Ratunku! Awaria
Film • 2008
jako Mike
Prince Among Slaves
Film • 2008
jako Narrator
In Prison My Whole Life
Film • 2008
jako Self
Yo Gabba Gabba!
Serial • 2007
Dexter
Serial • 2006
jako Brother Sam
Ricky Bobby - Demon prędkości
Film • 2006
jako Mos Def
September in Brooklyn: The Making of Block Party
Film • 2006
jako Self
Coachella
Film • 2006
jako Self - Interviewee
Podróż do końca nocy
Film • 2006
jako Wemba
16 Przecznic
Film • 2006
jako Eddie Bunker
Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
Film • 2006
The Boondocks
Serial • 2005
jako Gangstalicious (voice)
Alicia Keys: Unplugged
Film • 2005
jako Self
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Film • 2005
jako Self - (as Mos Def)
Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
Film • 2005
jako Self
Autostopem przez galaktykę
Film • 2005
jako Ford Prefect
Lackawanna Blues
Film • 2005
jako The Bandleader
Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth
Film • 2005
jako Self (as Mos Def)
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Serial • 2005
jako Self
Zły dotyk
Film • 2004
jako Sgt. Lucas
Dr House
Serial • 2004
jako Lee
W rękach Boga
Film • 2004
jako Vivien Thomas
Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
Film • 2003
jako Self
Włoska Robota
Film • 2003
jako Left Ear
Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Film • 2003
jako Himself
Real Time with Bill Maher
Serial • 2003
jako Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Serial • 2003
jako Self - Musical Guest
Chappelle's Show
Serial • 2003
jako Self - Black Star
Brown Sugar
Film • 2002
jako Chris Anton 'Cav' Vichon
Civil Brand
Film • 2002
jako Michael Meadows
Showtime
Film • 2002
jako Lazy Boy
Czekając na wyrok
Film • 2001
jako Ryrus Cooper
Rodzina Dumnych
Serial • 2001
jako Mos Def (voice)
Carmen: A Hip Hopera
Film • 2001
jako Lt. Miller
On, ona i dzieciaki
Serial • 2001
Bamboozled
Film • 2000
jako Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika
Island of the Dead
Film • 2000
jako Robbie J
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
Film • 2000
jako Himself
Mark Twain Prize
Serial • 1999
jako Self - Musical Guest
Where's Marlowe?
Film • 1998
jako Wilt Crawley
Brooklyn South
Serial • 1997
jako Darius
Ghosts
Film • 1997
jako Dante
The View
Serial • 1997
jako Self
Spin City
Serial • 1996
jako Monty
The Cosby Mysteries
Serial • 1994
Later... with Jools Holland
Serial • 1992
Here and Now
Serial • 1992
jako Alonzo
HBO First Look
Serial • 1992
jako Self
Split Images
Film • 1992
jako Curtis Roy
Ciężka próba
Film • 1991
jako Dead Romeos
You Take the Kids
Serial • 1990
jako Raymond Kirkland
God Bless the Child
Film • 1988
jako Richard Watkins
Saturday Night Live
Serial • 1975
jako Self - Musical Guest
Tony Awards
Serial • 1956
jako Self - Performer
Dave Chappelle's Block Party 2
Film
jako Self
Gorillaz Tottenham Hotspur Stadium documentary
Film
jako Self