Name	Canibus
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Germaine Williams
Birth date	December 09, 1974
Origin	Jamaica
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Emcee, Actor
Years active	1992–present
Label	Universal Records, Archives Music, Babygrande, Gladiator, War Lab Records
Website	Official MySpace Official Owned Website }}

Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid-nineties. Canibus is well-known for his extensive vocabulary and vivid imagery, as well as creating intricate rhyme schemes, complex phrases and concepts that he uses in order to provide an artistic depth to his music.

Early life

Germaine Williams was born on December 9, 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is of African, and Jamaican descent. His father, Basil Williams, is a former Jamaican cricketer. The family moved frequently, living in The Bronx, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Buffalo, and London due to his mother's career requiring constant relocation. Canibus stated that he was an introverted child growing up. After completing high school in 1992, he spent a year working for AT&T; and another year as a data analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice. His interest in computers and the Internet led him to study computer science at DeKalb College in Atlanta.

Music career

Early career (1995–1996)

He began rhyming in the mid-'90s and by 1995 under the name ''Canibus Sateevuh'', and formed a duo called T.H.E.M. (The Heralds of Extreme Metaphors) with Atlanta rapper Webb (now called C.I., also known as Central Intelligence). While he was with Webb, he took part in a legendary cypher with the Wu Tang Clan family in Buffalo, New York, which earned him respect from the rap veterans. In 1996, T.H.E.M. split and Canibus teamed with businessman Charles Suitt.

Debut album (1997–1998)

Canibus' debut album ''Can-I-Bus'' came out in September 1998. The song "Second Round K.O.", produced by Wyclef Jean, was a success, with the video featuring Wyclef and a cameo appearance by boxer Mike Tyson. Despite eventually being certified Gold, critics panned the album, criticizing both Canibus's subject matter and Wyclef's beats, most of which were considered inferior to both "Second Round K.O." and the artists' previous collaborations.

The original album contained a lot of socially concerned material. Some songs talked about the corruption within the U.S. government, AIDS, and violence in modern America. Canibus had a feud with LL Cool J over a verse that Canibus displayed on LL's own track titled 4'3'2'1 off of his LP, Phenomenon. The track featured Canibus, Method Man, Redman, and DMX.

Wyclef Feud, Second album (1999–2000)

Because Wyclef produced the majority of the tracks on Can-I-Bus, Williams blamed him for the general dissatisfaction with ''Can-I-Bus'' and cut ties with him, going as far as to diss Wyclef, most notably on the title track of his second album ("You mad at the last album? I apologize for it / Yo, I can't call it, motherfucking Wyclef spoiled it!"). Said album, ''2000 B.C.'', was also released to mixed feelings and reviews – the latter once more focusing on the lack of topical variety and uninspired production – also suffering from very little promotion by Universal Records. ll ''2000 B.C.'' featured the first collaboration between Canibus and Kurupt, Ras Kass and Killah Priest, a rap supergroup collectively known as The HRSMN (referring to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), on the track "Horsementality". Though following ''2000 B.C.'''s release it had been announced that the group would be releasing an album, these plans never materialized, with only an EP of outtakes from 2001 entitled ''The Horsemen Project'' released by Killah Priest's management in 2003. Since 2000, however, the members of the group have worked together on various songs and rumors of a full-length HRSMN album are rampant to this day and include speculation about collaborations with Pharoahe Monch, Common and Rakim, among others.

Though much bitterness between Canibus and Wyclef Jean remained for a period of time, the two artists finally settled their differences at the end of 2004; they have since worked together on two remixes of the Machel Montano song "Carnival Survivors". In an interview with HipHopsite.com conducted in November 2005, Williams revealed that he had recorded five songs with Wyclef and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis at Platinum Studios in New York for the upcoming Fugees reunion album. Whether or not those recordings will appear on the album has not been determined yet.

''C True Hollywood Stories'' (2001)

In 2001, Canibus released his third album, ''C True Hollywood Stories'', the title and some of the content deriving from the television show ''E! True Hollywood Story''. It was released on Archives Music, an independent label owned by Williams' future business partner, Louis Lombard III. It was a controversial release due to the album's overall concept, which to this day remains quite unclear to some. Many listeners interpreted it as Canibus' botched attempt at becoming a commercial and mainstream artist and wrote him off as a one-hit wonder, while others have called it a concept album in which the rapper satirized the mainstream hip-hop scene. Most explanations since the album's release seem to lean towards the latter; when Canibus' new official website, MicClub.net, appeared online towards the end of 2002, the summary of ''C True Hollywood Stories'' in the "Merchandise" section called it "an introspective look into the ultimate fan "Stan's" take on the current state of hip hop".

In an interview conducted in 2005, Williams' former promoter, Pak-Man, who worked on over half of the album with the rapper, spoke on the record, with his explanation leaning toward the album being intended as satire: "At that time Canibus was in the studio recording a lot of songs and [I] mean a lot, but he didn't want to make the fans wait no more so he did'' C True Hollywood Stories ''and he wanted to have fun wit, so thats what we did we had fun wit". In an interview on AllHipHop.com posted on April 8, 2005, Williams was asked what direction he was trying to take with that album; in his response, he stated "That album depicts the state of affairs in my life at the time - nothing more, nothing less".

''Mic Club: The Curriculum'' and ''Rip the Jacker'' (2002–2003)

After the critical failure of ''C True Hollywood Stories'', Canibus was subject to criticism and ridicule from the rap industry until the release of ''Mic Club: The Curriculum'', his fourth full-length album, towards the end of 2002. Although the production was handled almost entirely by little-known producers, some of them from Europe, the record proved to be a greater critical success than the previous year's release. ''Mic Club'' also saw Canibus return to a more scientific and complex rapping style, with a number of concept tracks and few songs with a chorus. The album was released on Mic Club Music, Canibus' own label, but failed to chart, selling relatively few copies.

Following the release of ''Mic Club: The Curriculum'', it was announced that Williams decided to join the United States Army. Before commencing his work with the military, however, he recorded a number of tracks which he intended to be released on his next album, entitled ''Rip the Jacker''. Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind was given the task of producing the entire record, equipped solely with Canibus' pre-recorded vocals. Due to his military obligations, Canibus himself only managed to review the album after having acquired a copy.

Upon release, ''Rip the Jacker'' received rave reviews from the majority of critics, who noted that Williams' largely scientific lyrics and distinctive, rough delivery was finally matched by equally fine production, as Canibus had a history of working with badly selected producers. Unlike ''Mic Club'', ''Rip the Jacker'' charted on both ''Billboard'''s R&B;/hip-hop charts and the ''''Billboard'' 200'', peaking at #34 and #197, respectively, although commercially, it retained the tendency to sell few copies.

Critics highlighted various aspects of ''Rip the Jacker'''s originality, both in terms of beats and lyrics; Stoupe had employed a large number of samples from often obscure compositions, while Canibus himself undertook a variety of topics from various perspectives. Of note was the inclusion of "Poet Laureate II", a song exceeding seven minutes in length and lacking a chorus, with several changes of beat throughout; the track was frequently singled out as one of the strongest in Canibus' career and the album as a whole convinced listeners and the industry alike that the rapper had not lost his potential.

''Mind Control'', Cloak n Dagga and ''Hip-Hop for Sale'' (2005–2006)

Following ''Rip the Jacker'' and Canibus' subsequent discharge from the army, an album entitled ''Mind Control'' (2005) was released to negative reviews. Canibus had never planned for it to be compiled as a separate record, but agreed to release it through the independent Gladiator Music label as part of a contractual agreement; most of the vocals for ''Mind Control'' had been recorded prior to the release of ''C True Hollywood Stories''. A collection of previously recorded material (with only three of the songs being unreleased) produced entirely by Mark Sparks, the album failed to chart and is rarely considered an official Canibus release by the rapper's fans.

Also in 2005, a collaboration between Williams and underground rapper Phoenix Orion, who had also been known for scientific lyrics, yielded the album ''Def Con Zero'', released on the independent Head Trauma Records label, owned by K-1 boxer Dewey Cooper. The record featured guest appearances from Kool G Rap, K-Solo, and former 106 & Park host Free, among others. As Cloak N Dagga, the duo briefly toured the United States promoting the release.

The following month, after numerous delays, Canibus' seventh solo album, ''Hip-Hop for Sale'', was released, but was panned by critics, who dismissed it as yet another failed attempt to gain mainstream recognition. Additionally, due to the earlier release of ''Mind Control'' and the leaking of most of the material in the form of a mixtape entitled ''The Vitruvian Man'', the release date had been pushed back to November, the original date having been May. The production on ''Hip-Hop for Sale'' was handled in part by Virginia-based producer Nottz, with several relatively unknown producers handling the remaining tracks after Nottz had cut ties with Canibus due to the appearance of ''The Vitruvian Man''.The day of ''Hip-Hop for Sale'''s release, ''Mic Club Master Volume One'', a separate mixtape, appeared in stores, many of the songs receiving more praise than those present on the full-length album.

''For Whom the Beat Tolls'' (2007)

In January 2007, it was announced that Canibus would release new material in 2007 exclusively on his own imprint, Mic Club Music, in a joint venture with Legion Entertainment and distributed via his former major label, Universal Music Group. A pair of mixtapes, titled ''Nothing to Prove'' and ''Nothing to Lose'', were slated for release in March 2007, but were eventually scrapped; instead, Canibus decided to use the best material from each mixtape to create a new full-length album entitled ''For Whom the Beat Tolls''.

When the record was originally announced in March, there was only one confirmed track – the third installment in Canibus' "Poet Laureate" series, "Poet Laureate Infinity". The track has 1,000 bars, in the form of five 200 bar verses, and is layered in such a way that "when you mix it and spread it throughout five channels, [you have the ability] to mix the track differently every time". On April 8, 2007, the track was uploaded, by Canibus himself, to a website where the listener could mix the track differently on a digital mixing board. The website is now down, but the fansite Canibus-Central.com provided a backup.

"For Whom the Beat Tolls" was originally set for release in May 2007, but was pushed back one month, and a released on June 12, 2007 (though it was not distributed by Universal as previously reported). The album has 16 tracks and includes contributions from Killah Priest and Vinnie Paz, among others, and featured two personally made mixes of the "Poet Laureate Infinity" track ("Poet Laureate Infinity v003" and "Poet Laureate Infinity v004").

Following the release of "For Whom the Beat Tolls", Canibus went on a sporadic tour in the U.S. to promote the record. In August 2007, Canibus made an announcement on his Myspace page that he had cut ties with his business partner Louis Lombard: "''To my friends, family and fans, Just wanted everybody to know I no longer do business with Louis Lombard, III & Mic Club Music''.

''Melatonin Magik'' (2010)

In December 2009, it was announced that Canibus was in the process of releasing his 9th studio album ''Melatonin Magik''. ''Melatonin Magik'' was released on February 09, 2010, to relatively positive reviews, being regarded as one of his most focused efforts yet. The album included several guest appearances, a marked contrast to many of his previous albums in which he kept features at a minimum.

''C of Tranquility'' (2010)

His long awaited album ''C of Tranquility'' was released on Oct. 5, 2010. Producers include DJ Premier, Jake One, Scram Jones, Tha Bizness and J-Zone.

''Lyrical Law'' and Royce Da 5'9"/Joe Budden Feud (2011)

Originally intended to be a Melatonin Magik remix album, as more and more guests were invited to feature, Canibus decided to also record new material for the album, and it quickly evolved into an official solo album. In April 2011, it was announced that he would be selling the album through his new website, canibuscatalogue.com in order to have more control over promotion and sale.

An allegedly fake Twitter account posing to be Canibus began posting inflammatory comments towards Royce Da 5'9" and the Shady Records camp in early 2011, inciting verbal rebuttals from Royce, believing that the account had been him. Royce's fulmination continued, even after it had been announced that the account was fake by Canibus himself. This caused Canibus to release snippets from a track in which he has lines directed toward Royce. Royce responded simply by saying that Canibus had "fallen off" and could no longer rap well. Similar comments regarding the track were made by affiliate Joe Budden. Insulted, Canibus decided to release two audio snippets. One titled "Lyrical Law VS Joey Cupcakes" in which he harshly insults Budden; poking fun at his personal life and taking smaller shots at Royce Da 5'9". the other, titled "Lyrical Law VS Royce Da 5'9"" was a length of audio in which he goes in depth about his perception of the situation and further insults Royce Da 5'9".

A track entitled "Spring Training" was released by Joe Budden two days after "Lyrical Law VS Joey Cupcakes" containing lines directed towards Canibus. To many, the track appears to be a response. This is untrue however, as the track was allegedly recorded prior to having a conflict with Canibus. As of June 2011, an official response from either Royce or Budden (aside from brief messages on Twitter) has yet to surface.

Military career

In 2002, Canibus signed up for the United States Army. In a 2005 interview, Canibus stated "I enlisted because I wanted to get away from the music.... I wanted to do something that gave me a separate definition from what I had done all through my teens and twenties. I was 28 when I enlisted". In 2004, he was caught smoking marijuana and was discharged for it.

Discography

Solo Albums

1998: ''Can-I-Bus''

2000: ''2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus)''

2001: ''C True Hollywood Stories''

2002: ''Mic Club: The Curriculum''

2003: ''Rip the Jacker''

2005: ''Mind Control''

2005: ''Hip-Hop for Sale''

2007: ''For Whom the Beat Tolls''

2010: ''Melatonin Magik''

2010: ''C of Tranquility''

2011: ''Lyrical Law''

TBA: ''Rip the Jacker II: Infinity''

Collaboration Albums

1993: ''Lyrical Warfare'' with Webb as T.H.E.M (The Heralds of Extreme Metaphors)

2003: ''The Horsemen Project'' with Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass as The HRSMN

2005: ''Def Con Zero'' with Phoenix Orion as Cloak-n-Dagga

2011: ''In Gods We Trust - Crush Microphones To Dust'' with Keith Murray as The Undergods

TBA: ''The End is Near'' with Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass as The HRSMN

TBA: ''Untitled Album'' with Kool G Rap

Collaboration EPs

2009: ''Canibus and Keith Murray Are the Undergods'' with Keith Murray as The Undergods

Official Mixtapes

2003: ''The Brainstream''

2003: ''My Name Is Nobody''

2005: ''Mic Club Mixtape Master Volume One''

2005: ''The Vitruvian Man''

Filmography

2000: ''Bamboozled''

2004: ''Beef II''

2004: ''The MC: Why We Do It''

References

External links

Epic Canibus Interview (CWR Radio)

Category:1974 births Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:Living people Category:Jamaican emigrants to the United States Category:Underground rappers

de:Canibus fr:Canibus ga:Canibus it:Canibus ht:Canibus hu:Canibus nl:Canibus no:Canibus pl:Canibus fi:Canibus sv:Canibus

name	Mos Def
background	solo_singer
birth name	Dante Terrell Smith
born	December 11, 1973Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
origin	Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper, actor, singer, activist
years active	1994–present
label	Rawkus, Priority, Geffen, Downtown, GOOD Music
associated acts	Soulquarians, Black Star, Talib Kweli, Native Tongues Posse, Kanye West, Gorillaz
notable instruments	}}

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an American actor and MC known by the stage name Mos Def (). Mos Def 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. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album ''Black Star'' in 1998. He was a major force in the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion spearheaded by Rawkus Records. 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.

Although 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 have garnered critical approval for their acting work. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political issues.

Early life

Mos Def grew up during the golden age of hip-hop and has rapped and acted since he was six. He attended Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He majored in Musical Theater at Talent Unlimited High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan. He studied at New York University in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

He has two younger brothers, Abdul Rahman (a.k.a. "Gold Medal Man"), who is Mos Def's full-time DJ, and Anwar Superstar. He also has a younger sister, Ces "Casey" Smith, and a younger half-brother, Jermone Victor Moulton, who resides in Brooklyn and shares the same mother, Sheron.

Mos Def converted to Islam. 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. At 19, he took his ''shahada'', the Muslim declaration of faith. He is friends with fellow Muslim rappers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip.

Career

Music career

Mos Def began his music career in 1994 in the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics with his younger brother D.c.Q and younger sister Ces. Despite their contract with Payday Records, the group only had two singles, and their debut album ''Manifest Destiny'' was not released until 2004, when it was distributed by 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.

Mos Def signed with Rawkus Records and formed the group Black Star with Talib Kweli. They released an album, ''Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star'', in 1998. Mostly produced by Hi-Tek, the album featured the hit singles, "Respiration" and "Definition", which would go on to be featured in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. Mos Def released his solo debut album ''Black on Both Sides'' in 1999, also through Rawkus. Around this time he also contributed to the Scritti Politti album ''Anomie & Bonhomie'' and Rawkus compilations ''Lyricist Lounge'' and ''Soundbombing''.

After the collapse of Rawkus, he signed to Interscope/Geffen Records, which released his second solo album ''The New Danger'' in 2004. ''The New Danger'' contained a mix of several musical genres, including soul, blues, and rock and roll, performed with his rock band Black Jack Johnson, which contained members of the bands Bad Brains and Living Colour. The singles included "Sex, Love & Money" and the B-side "Ghetto Rock"; the latter went on to receive several Grammy Award nominations in 2004.

Mos Def's final solo album for Geffen Records, ''True Magic'', was quietly released on December 29, 2006. ''True Magic'' features production from The Neptunes, Rich Harrison and Minnesota, among others. The album was released in a clear-case with no cover art. Neither Geffen nor Mos Def himself promoted the album at all, which is the main reason the album was received under the radar.

The song "Crime & Medicine" is essentially a cover of GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", though it contains different verses. Also, the track "Undeniable" samples a version of the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield composition "Message from a Black Man". The song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".

MTV reported that this album isn't a full version, but a teaser/promotional debut. A new version of the album would be released spring 2007, with updated songs and cover art. However, on October 17, 2007, Okayplayer reported, through discussions with Mos Def's management, that these rumors were unsubstantiated. The CD was intended to be released without promotion or cover art, as per Mos Def's request. There would be no future re-release.

On November 7, 2007, Mos Def performed live in San Francisco at a venue called The Mezzanine. This performance was recorded for an upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During this performance Mos Def announced that he would be releasing a new album to be called ''The Ecstatic''. He sang a number of new tracks; in later shows, Def previewed tracks produced by Madlib and was rumored to be going to Kanye West for new material. Producer and fellow Def Poet Al Be Back stated that he would be producing as well. The album was released on June 9, 2009; upon its release, only Madlib's production had made the cut, along with tracks by Preservation, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No, a song by J. Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Mos Def appears alongside Kanye West on the track "Two Words" from The College Dropout album, the track "Drunk And Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third major album, Graduation. In 2002, he released the 12" single Fine, which was featured in the ''Brown Sugar'' Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Mos Def also appears on the debut album from fellow New Yorkers Apollo Heights on a track titled, "Concern." In October, he signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on a remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice. Mos Def appeared on Stephen Marley's album ''Mind Control'' on the song "Hey Baby." In 2009, Mos Def worked together with Somali rapper K'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's album Troubadour.

In April 2008 he appeared on the title track for a new album by The Roots entitled ''Rising Down''. The new single, Life In Marvelous Times, was made officially available through iTunes on November 4, 2008, and is available for stream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.

April 2009 saw him traveling to South Africa for the first time where he performed accompanied by The Robert Glasper Experiment at the renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He enticed his bemused African following with an encore introduced by his own rendition of John Coltrane's "Love Supreme" followed by a sneak preview of the track "M.D. (Doctor)", much to the delight of the fans.

Mos Def also designed two pairs of limited edition Converse shoes. The shoes were released to Foot Locker stores on August 1, 2009 in very limited amounts.

In late 2009, Mos Def created a brand of clothing line with UNDRCRWN called the "Mos Def Cut & Sew Collection." All clothing items will be sold in select stores located around the U.S. and almost exclusively on the UNDRCRWN website. 2009 also found Mos Def among the MCs collaborating with the Black Keys on the first Blakroc album, a project headed by the Black Keys and Damon Dash. Mos Def appeared with Jim Jones and the Black Keys on the Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc track "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

In March 2010, Mos Def's song Quiet Dog Bite Hard was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.

Mos Def features on the first single, "Stylo", from the third Gorillaz album, ''Plastic Beach'', alongside soul legend Bobby Womack. He also appears on the track titled "Sweepstakes".

In September 2010, after appearing on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Friday track "Lord Lord Lord", Mos Def confirmed his signing with GOOD Music.

Mos Def has been an active contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards the repair of the damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally by Smokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

Acting career

He began his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, 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''. He also starred in a 1996 Visa check card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. In 1997 he had a small role alongside Michael Jackson in his short film and music video "Ghosts".

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.

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. He also received positive notices as the quirky Left Ear in the blockbuster hit, ''The Italian Job'' in 2003. He also appeared in 2003 in the music video ''You Don't Know My Name'' of the song by Alicia Keys.

In television, Mos Def has appeared on Comedy Central's ''Chappelle's Show'', and has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, ''Def Poetry'' since its inception. The show's sixth season aired in 2007. He also appeared on the sitcom ''My Wife And Kids'' as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).

Mos Def 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 Award 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, 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 starred in the action film ''16 Blocks'' alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He has a recurring guest role on ''Boondocks'', starring as "Gangstalicious". He is also set to be in ''Toussaint'', a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. He made a cameo appearance — playing himself — in the movie ''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''.

In 2008, Mos Def 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 entitled "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." 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.

In 2011, it was announced he would appear on the Showtime television series ''Dexter''. He will play Brother Sam, an ex-con who has supposedly found religion despite finding himself in violent situations.

Social and political views

By the early 1990s, a brand of socially conscious hip hop that had been pioneered and popularized by Public Enemy, KRS-One, and De La Soul, among others, had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Mos Def, as well as Talib Kweli, The Roots, Common, and others, helped socially aware rap music experience something of a comeback in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mos Def's collaboration with Talib Kweli, ''Black Star'', was released during the aftermath of the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. and focused on violence and negativity in hip-hop, in collaboration with other acts that did the same. His music has also made reference to his Islamic faith, and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll.

On Mos Def's 2004 album ''The New Danger'', he took his penchant for experimentation to a new level. Most of the songs were more hip-hop flavored stylings of blues and rock, with fewer raps thrown in. This threw off fans who were expecting another full-blown rap album. ''The New Danger'' also featured the controversial song, "The Rape Over," a parody of Jay-Z's ''The Blueprint'' hit "Takeover". His label made him take the song off releases of the album, citing clearance issues with Jay-Z and The Doors, a band which the song samples. The song has garnered controversy over its veiled reference to Israeli-American record executive Lyor Cohen (the "tall Israeli" who then was head of The Island Def Jam Music Group).

Mos Def and Immortal Technique released a similarly controversial song, "Bin Laden" in 2004, which blamed the Reagan Doctrine and President George W. Bush for the September 11, 2001 attacks. A club remix song, featuring Eminem, was released the following year, in 2005.

In September 2005, Mos Def 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, Mos Def 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 despite having a public performance permit in his possession.

On September 7, 2007, Mos Def 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 and the murder conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mos Def also claimed that Al-Qaeda was not responsible for 9/11, and that Al-Qaeda is not responsible for as much terrorism as they are portrayed to be. He appeared on ''Real Time'' again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk of nuclear weapons. Mos Def said that he did not listen to any of Osama Bin Laden's messages because he did not trust the translations.

In 2000, Mos Def performed a benefit concert for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Personal life

In 1996, Def married Maria Yepes. After having two daughters, Chandani and Jauhara Smith, he filed for divorce in 2005. The divorce became final in 2006. Two years later, Def's divorce lawyers Blank Rome sued Def for more than $60,000 in unpaid legal bills.

In October, 2006 Mos Def appeared on ''4Real'', a documentary television series. Appearing in the episode "City of God," he and the 4Real crew traveled to City of God, a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and discover the crime and social problems of the community.

He has recently taken up skateboarding and said he's looking to host a skateboarding event in the United Arab Emirates.

Nominations

Black Movie Awards

* 2006 Source Awards

Black Reel Awards

* 2008, Best Supporting Actor: ''Cadillac Records''

* 2003, Best Actor- Independent: ''Civil Brand''

* 2004, Best Supporting Actor: ''The Italian Job''

* 2005, Best Actor TV Movie/Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

* 2005, Best Indie Actor: ''The Woodsman'' (won)

Emmy Award

* 2004, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Golden Globes

* 2005, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Grammy Awards

* 2005, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Sex, Love & Money"

* 2006, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Ghetto Rock"

* 2007, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Undeniable"

* 2010, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Casa Bey"

* 2010, Best Rap Album: "The Ecstatic"

* 2011, Best Short Form Music Video: "Stylo" (with Bobby Womack and Gorillaz)

* 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: ''Cadillac Records''

* 2003, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: ''Brown Sugar''

* 2005, Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Discography

''Black on Both Sides'' (1999)

''The New Danger'' (2004)

''True Magic'' (2006)

''The Ecstatic'' (2009)

Filmography

''Ghosts (Michael Jackson film) ''Where's Marlowe?'' ''Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme'' ''Carmen: A Hip Hopera'' ''Showtime (film) ''The Italian Job (2003 film) ''The Woodsman'' Vivien Thomas ''Lackawanna Blues'' ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'' ''Prince Among Slaves (film) ''Be Kind Rewind'' ''Next Day Air'' ''I'm Still Here (film) ''Yo Gabba Gabba

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
1991	The Hard Way (1991 film)>The Hard Way''	Dead Romeos Gang Member
1997	Ghosts'' ||	Townsperson
1998	|	Wilt Crawley
rowspan="3"	2000	|	Himself
''Bamboozled''	Big Blak Afrika
''Island of the Dead (2000 film)	Island of the Dead''	Robbie J
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Lieutenant Miller
''Monster's Ball''	Ryrus Cooper
rowspan="4"	2002	Showtime'' ||	Lazy Boy
''Civil Brand''	Michael Meadows
''Brown Sugar (2002 film)	Brown Sugar''	Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon
''My Wife and Kids''
2003	The Italian Job'' ||	Left Ear
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Detective Lucas
''Something the Lord Made''	| Nominated - Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for TelevisionNominated - Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Movie
rowspan="3"	2005	|	The Bandleader
''The Boondocks (TV series)	The Boondocks (2005-2008)	Voice Of Gangstalicious
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''	Ford Prefect (character)>Ford Prefect
rowspan="4"	2006	|	Himself
''16 Blocks''	Eddie Bunker
''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''	Himself
''Journey to the End of the Night (2006 film)	Journey to the End of the Night''	Wemba
2007	Prince Among Slaves'' ||	Narrator
rowspan="2"	2008	|	Mike
''Cadillac Records''	Chuck Berry
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Eric
''House (TV series)	House''	Lee
2010	I'm Still Here'' ||	Himself
2010	(TV series)	Yo Gabba Gabba!''	Super Mr. Superhero

References

External links

Mos Def / Dante Smith discographies at Discogs.

Mos Def at Geffen Records.

Mos Def Fan Message Board

Category:1973 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American actors Category:African American Muslims Category:Converts to Islam Category:African American Muslims Category:African American rappers Category:American vegetarians Category:Living people Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Slam poets

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