At 19, he took his shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith. While his father was initially a member of the Nation of Islam and later an active member in the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who merged into mainstream Islam from the Nation, Mos Def was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13. He was raised by his mother in Brooklyn his father lived in New Jersey. He was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Sheron Smith and Abdul Rahman. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political causes. He is well known for his parts in films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, ' Be Kind Rewind', ' The Italian Job', and his portrayal of Brother Sam in the American drama series Dexter. Īlthough he was initially recognized for his musical output, since the early 2000s, Mos Def's screen work has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who has garnered critical acclaim for his acting work. 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. He was a major force in late 1990s underground hip hop while with Rawkus Records. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album Black Star in 1998. He 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. Soulquarians, Black Star, Native Tongues Posse, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Pharoahe Monch, Blakrocĭante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an American actor and hip hop recording artist, better known by the stage names Mos Def / ˈ m oʊ s ˈ d ɛ f / and Yasiin Bey / j æ ˈ s iː n ˈ b eɪ /.

Mos def songs