The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or metaphorical language. A pun differs from a malapropism in that a malapropism uses an incorrect expression that alludes to another (usually correct) expression, but a pun uses a correct expression that alludes to another (sometimes correct but more often absurdly humorous) expression. Henri Bergson defined a pun as a sentence or utterance in which "two different sets of ideas are expressed, and we are confronted with only one series of words". Puns may be regarded as in-jokes or idiomatic constructions, given that their usage and meaning are entirely local to a particular language and its culture. For example, camping is intense (in tents).

Puns are used to create humor and sometimes require a large vocabulary to understand. Puns have long been used by comedy writers, such as William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and George Carlin. The Roman playwright Plautus is famous for his tendency to make up and change the meaning of words to create puns in Latin.

Typology

Puns can be classified in various ways:

The homophonic pun, a common type, uses word pairs which sound alike (homophones) but are not synonymous. Walter Redfern exemplified this type with his statement "To pun is to treat homonyms as synonyms". For example, in George Carlin's phrase "Atheism is a non-prophet institution", the word "prophet" is put in place of its homophone "profit", altering the common phrase "non-profit institution". Similarly, the joke "Question: Why do we still have troops in Germany? Answer: To keep the Russians in ''Czech''" relies on the aural ambiguity of the homophones "check" and "Czech". Often, puns are not strictly homophonic, but play on words of similar, not identical, sound as in the example from the "Pinky and the Brain" cartoon film series: "I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the lima beans feel left out?" which plays with the similar – but not identical – sound of "peas" and "peace".

A homographic pun exploits words which are spelled the same (homographs) but possess different meanings and sounds. Because of their nature, they rely on sight more than hearing, contrary to homophonic puns. They are also known as heteronymic puns. Examples in which the punned words typically exist in two different parts of speech often rely on unusual sentence construction, as in the anecdote: "When asked to explain his large number of children, the pig answered simply: 'The wild oats of my sow gave us many piglets.' " An example which combines homophonic and homographic punning is Douglas Adams's line "You can tune a guitar, but you can't ''tuna'' fish. Unless of course, you play ''bass''." The phrase uses the homophonic qualities of "tune a" and "tuna", as well as the homographic pun on "bass", in which ambiguity is reached through the identical spellings of (a string instrument), and (a kind of fish).

Homonymic puns, another common type, arise from the exploitation of words which are both homographs and homophones. The statement "Being in politics is just like playing golf: you are trapped in one bad ''lie'' after another" puns on the two meanings of the word ''lie'' as "a deliberate untruth" and as "the position in which something rests". An adaptation of a joke repeated by Isaac Asimov gives us "Did you hear about the little moron who strained himself while running into the screen door?", playing on 'strained' as "to give much effort" and "to filter". A homonymic pun may also be polysemic, in which the words must be homonymic and also possess related meanings, a condition which is often subjective. However, lexicographers define polysemes as listed under a single dictionary lemma (a unique numbered meaning) while homonyms are treated in separate lemmata.

A compound pun is a statement that contains two or more puns. For example, a complex statement by Richard Whately includes four puns: "Why can a man never starve in the Great Desert? Because he can eat the sand which is there. But what brought the sandwiches there? Why, Noah sent Ham, and his descendants mustered and bred." This pun uses "sand which is there/sandwiches there, "Ham/ham", "mustered/mustard", and "bred/bread". Compound puns may also combine two phrases that share a word. For example, "Where do mathematicians go on weekends? To a Möbius strip club!" puns on Möbius strip and strip club.

A recursive pun is one in which the second aspect of a pun relies on the understanding of an element in the first. For example the statement "''π'' is only half a ''pie''." (''π'' radians is 180 degrees, or half a circle, and a ''pie'' is a complete circle). Another example is "Infinity is not ''in finity''," which means infinity is not in finite range. Another example is "A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother." Finally, we are given "Immanuel doesn't pun, he Kant" by Oscar Wilde. Visual puns are used in many logos, emblems, insignia, and other graphic symbols, in which one or more of the pun aspects are replaced by a picture. In European heraldry, this technique is called canting arms. Visual and other puns and word games are also common in Dutch gable stones as well as in some cartoons, such as ''Lost Consonants'' and ''The Far Side''.

Another type of visual pun exists in languages which use non-phonetic writing. For example, in Chinese, a pun may be based on a similarity in shape of the written character, despite a complete lack of phonetic similarity in the words punned upon. Mark Elvin describes how this "peculiarly Chinese form of visual punning involved comparing written characters to objects."

Richard J. Alexander notes two additional forms which puns may take: graphological puns, such as concrete poetry; and morphological puns, such as portmanteaus.

Use

Comedy and jokes

Puns are a common source of humour in jokes and comedy shows. They are often used in the punch line of a joke, where they typically give a humorous meaning to a rather perplexing story. These are also known as feghoots. The following example comes from the movie ''Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'', though the punchline stems from far older Vaudeville roots. The final line puns on the stock phrase "the lesser of two evils". ::Captain Aubrey: "Do you see those two weevils, Doctor?...Which would you choose?" ::Dr. Maturin: "Neither. There's not a scrap of difference between them. They're the same species of ''Curculio''." ::Captain Aubrey: "If you had to choose. If you were forced to make a choice. If there were no other option." ::Dr. Maturin: "Well, then, if you're going to push me. I would choose the right-hand weevil. It has significant advantage in both length and breadth." ::Captain Aubrey: "There, I have you!...Do you not know that in the Service, one must always choose ''the lesser of two weevils''?"

Puns often are used in the titles of comedic parodies. A parody of a popular song, movie, etc., may be given a title that hints at the title of the work being parodied, substituting some of the words with ones that sound or look similar. Such a title can immediately communicate both that what follows is a parody and also which work is about to be parodied, making any further "setup" (introductory explanation) unnecessary.

Literature

Non-humorous puns were and are a standard rhetorical and poetic device in English literature. Puns and other forms of word play have been used by many famous writers, such as Alexander Pope, James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Robert Bloch, Lewis Carroll, John Donne, and William Shakespeare, who is estimated to have used over 3,000 puns in his plays. Some promoters of the Shakespeare Authorship theory believe that the name Will Shake-spear was itself a pun, chosen to hide the true author's name while revealing it as a mask.

Here is an example from Shakespeare's ''Richard III'': ::"Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this ''son'' of York" (''Son''/''sun'')

Shakespeare was also noted for his frequent play with less serious puns, the "quibbles" of the sort that made Samuel Johnson complain, "A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapours are to the traveller! He follows it to all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way, sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind, and its fascinations are irresistible." Elsewhere, Johnson disparagingly referred to punning as "the lowest form of humour".

In the poem ''A Hymn to God the Father'', John Donne, married to Anne More, reportedly puns repeatedly: "Son/sun" in the second quoted line, and two compound puns on "Donne/done" and "More/more". All three are homophonic, with the puns on "more" being both homographic and capitonymic. The ambiguities serve to introduce several possible meanings into the verses.

::"When Thou hast ''done'', Thou hast not ''done'' / For I have ''more''. ::that at my death Thy ''Son'' / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore ::And having ''done'' that, Thou hast ''done''; / I fear no ''more''."

Designation

Like other forms of wordplay, paronomasia is occasionally used for its attention-getting or mnemonic qualities, making it common in titles and the names of places, characters, and organizations, and in advertising and slogans.

Many restaurant and shop names use puns: Cane & Able mobility healthcare, Tiecoon tie shop, Planet of the Grapes wine and spirits, as do books, such as ''Pies and Prejudice'', comics (''YU+ME: dream'') and films (''Good Will Hunting''). The Japanese anime ''Speed Racer's'' original title, ''Mach GoGoGo!'' refers to the English word itself, the Japanese word for five (the Mach 5's car number), and the name of the show's main character, Go Mifune.

Names of characters also often carry puns, such as Ash Ketchum and Goku ("kakarot"), the protagonists of the anime series ''Pokémon'' and ''Dragonball'', respectively, both franchises which are known for including second meanings in the names of many of their characters. A recurring motif in the ''Austin Powers'' films repeatedly puns on names which suggest male genitalia. In the science fiction television series ''Star Trek'', "B-4" is used as the name of one of four androids models constructed "before" the android Data, a main character.

The parallel sequel ''The Lion King 1½'' advertised with the phrase "You haven't seen the 1/2 of it!". Wyborowa Vodka employed the slogan "Enjoyed for centuries straight", while Northern Telecom used "Technology the world calls on."

Confusion and alternate uses

There exist subtle differences between paronomasia and other literary techniques, such as the double entendre. While puns are often simple wordplay for comedic or rhetorical effect, a double entendre alludes to a second meaning which is not contained within the statement or phrase itself, often one which purposefully disguises the second meaning. As both exploit the use of intentional double meanings, puns can sometimes be double entendres, and vice versa. Puns also bear similarities with paraprosdokian, syllepsis and eggcorns. In addition, homographic puns are sometimes compared to the stylistic device antanaclasis, and homophonic puns to polyptoton.

Science and computing

Scientific puns rely on the contrast between precise technical and imprecise informal definitions of the same word. In statistical contexts, for example, the word ''significant'' is usually assumed to mean "statistically significant", which has a precisely defined technical meaning. Using ''significant'' with the layperson meaning "of practical significance" in such contexts would qualify as punning, such as the webcomic xkcd's double pun "statistically significant other".

In formal linguistics, puns can often be found embedded within the etymological meaning or usage of words, which in turn may be buried over time and unknown to native speakers. Puns may also be found in syntax, where morphological constructions have derived from what may have originally been humorous ''word play, slang,'' or otherwise ''idiosyncratic'' word usage.

In computing, esoteric programming languages (EPLs) are based in or contain what may be regarded as conceptual puns, as they typically misuse common programming concepts in ways which are absurd, or functionally useless. Some EPL puns may be obvious, such as in the usage of text images, while other puns are highly conceptual and understandable to experts only.

In computer science, the term type punning refers to a programming technique that subverts or circumvents the type system of a programming language, by allowing a value of a certain type to be manipulated as a value of a different type.

History

Puns were found in ancient Egypt, where they were heavily used in development of myths and interpretation of dreams.

In China, Shen Tao (ca. 300 BC) used "shih", meaning "power", and "shih", meaning "position" to say that a king has power because of his position as king.

In ancient Iraq, about 2500 BC, punning was used by scribes to represent words in cuneiform.

The Maya are known for having used puns in their hieroglyphic writing, and for using them in their modern languages.

In Japan, "graphomania" was one type of pun.

See also

Albur

Alliteration

Antanaclasis

Auto-antonym

Dajare

Double entendre

Eggcorn

Feghoot

Malapropism

Mondegreen

Paraprosdokian

Polyptoton

Satiric misspelling

Syllepsis

Notes

References

Alexander, Richard J. ''Aspects of Verbal Humour in English.'' 1997. Narr, Tübingen

Augarde, Tony. ''The Oxford Guide to Word Games.'' 1984. Oxford University Press, London

Fontaine, Michael. ''Funny Words in Plautine Comedy''. 2010. Oxford University Press.

Hempelmann, Christian F. "Script opposition and logical mechanism in punning". In :- Humor – ''International Journal of Humor Research,'' Volume 17, Issue 4. Sept 2004. pp. 381–392. (Access restricted.)

Smyth, Herbert Weir. ''Greek Grammar.'' 1920. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

Tartakovsky, Joseph. "Pun for the Ages". The New York Times, March 28, 2009.

Further reading

Pollack, John, ''The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics'', Penguin, 2011

External links

There's a Sewer in the Sewer: a primer for heteronymphiles

ar:جناس bar:Kalauer bg:Каламбур ca:Paronomàsia cs:Kalambúr de:Paronomasie et:Sõnamäng es:Calambur eo:Kalemburo fa:جناس fr:Calembour io:Kalemburo it:Paronomasia he:לשון נופל על לשון lt:Kalambūras nl:Woordspeling ja:駄洒落 pl:Kalambur pt:Paranomásia ru:Каламбур sv:Vits zh:雙關語

Name	Black Thought
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tariq (Tarik) Trotter
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Birth date	October 03, 1971
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1987–present
Label	DGC/Geffen/MCA RecordsDef Jam Recordings
Associated acts	The Roots, Money Making Jam Boys, Black Star, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Meek Mill
Website	www.myspace.com/blackthought }}

Tariq Trotter (born on October 3, 1971), better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots, as well as an occasional actor. Black Thought, who co-founded The Roots with drummer ?uestlove (Ahmir Thompson), is widely lauded for his live performance skills and his complex and politically aware lyrical content.

Early life

Black Thought was born Tariq Trotter and attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and Millersville University. In 1987, Trotter became friends with drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and formed a drummer/MC duo performing on the streets of Philadelphia and at talent shows. Trotter would subsequently spend some time as one of two MCs in the group The Square Roots: the other one was Malik B., who Tariq met in college. In high-school, Black Thought converted to the Islamic sect of The Nation of Gods and Earths.

The Roots

The Square Roots renamed themselves the Roots and released its debut album ''Organix'' in 1993, to prepare for a concert in Germany. The Roots signed to DGC and followed up with ''Do You Want More?!!!??!'' in 1995. Recorded without any sampling, the album was more popular among alternative music fans than those of hip hop. Around the release of the album, the Roots performed at the Lollapalooza alternative music festival and Montreux Jazz Festival. ''Illadelph Halflife'', the band's 1996 album, became its first album to chart within the top 40 spots on the Billboard 200 because of the successful single "What They Do". ''Things Fall Apart'' followed in 1999, the year the band played at the Woodstock 99 concert.

In 2000, the Roots won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "You Got Me", with guest performances by Erykah Badu and Eve. The Roots' album ''Things Fall Apart'' was nominated for the Best Rap Album award. For Jay-Z's acoustic concert for the television program ''MTV Unplugged'', The Roots provided instrumentals. Succeeding albums were ''Phrenology'' (2002), ''The Tipping Point'' (2004), ''Game Theory'' (2006), ''Rising Down'' (2008),''How I Got Over'' (2010) and Undun (2011).

Other work

Films in which Black Thought starred in include ''Bamboozled'' (2000), ''Perfume'', ''Love Rome'', and ''Brooklyn Babylon'' (both 2001).

Thought has also made guest performances on several other records including "Pimpas Paradise" by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, ''Team'' by Dilated Peoples, ''One Day It'll All Make Sense'' by Common, ''Reanimation'' by Linkin Park, ''Pick a Bigger Weapon'' by The Coup, ''The Rising Tied'' by Fort Minor and ''A Ma Zone'' by Zap Mama.

Black Thought recorded a solo album to be titled ''Masterpiece Theatre'' and released in summer 2001, but the project was scrapped after learning that the album wouldn't count towards The Roots' current contract commitments. Most of the songs demoed wound up on The Roots' ''Phrenology'' album. In 2006, he began working on a collaborative project with producer Danger Mouse titled ''Dangerous Thoughts''. In a June 2008 interview with Brian Kayser of the website ''HipHopGame'', Black Thought spoke of yet another solo project, which will come out on the label Razor and Tie. He stated that there would be the possibility of Questlove working on production. In 2008, Peta2.com nominated Black Thought as among the "World's Sexiest Vegetarians".

In February 2011, Black Thought, along with 10.Deep and his side collective "Money Making Jam Boys", which includes Dice Raw, S.T.S., Truck North, & P.O.R.N., released the mixtape titled ''The Prestige''.

Discography

''The Talented Mr. Trotter'' (TBA)

Appearances

1995: "Meiso", ''Meiso'', DJ Krush

1996: "Da Jawn", Kollage, Bahamadia

1997: "Get This Low", ''The Psycho-Social,'' ''Jedi Mind Tricks''

1997: "Stolen Moments, Pt. 2", ''One Day It'll All Make Sense'', Common

1997: "Listen to This", Listen To This, Walkin' Large

1997: "The Agenda", "Sou", Inoran

1998: "It's About That Time", ''Soul Survivor'', Pete Rock

1998: "Live From the Sretch Armstrong Show", ''Lyricist Lounge Volume One'', Various Artists

1998: "Super Lyrical", ''Capital Punishment'', Big Pun

1998: "Tabou (Roots Remix)", ''Princesses Nubians'', Les Nubians

1999: "Burnin' and Lootin'", ''Chant Down Babylon'' (Post-Humous Remix), Bob Marley

1999: "Respiration (Flying High Remix)", ''Respiration 12"'', Black Star

2000: "Cold Blooded", ''Like Water for Chocolate'', Common

2000: "Hurricane", ''The Hurricane Soundtrack'', Black Thought, Common, Dice Raw, Flo Brown, Jazzyfatnastees and Mos Def

2000: "Network", ''Plain Rap'', The Pharcyde

2001: "Hard Hitters", ''Expansion Team'', Dilated Peoples

2001: "Zen Approach", ''Zen'', DJ Krush

2002: "Clap!", ''Next'', Soulive

2002: "Guerilla Monsoon Rap", ''Quality'', Talib Kweli

2002: "X-Ecutioner Style", ''Reanimation'', Linkin Park

2004: "Live From The PJs", ''Revolutions'', The X-Ecutioners

2005: "Appreciate", ''Love and Life'', LaToya London

2005: "Flutlicht", ''Sinnflut'', Curse

2005: "Pimpa's Paradise", ''Welcome to Jamrock'', Damian Marley

2005: "Right Now", ''The Rising Tied'', Fort Minor

2006: "Love Movin'", ''The Shining'', J Dilla

2006: "My Favorite Mutiny", ''Pick A Bigger Weapon'', The Coup

2006: "Yes, Yes Y'all",''Timeless'', Sérgio Mendes

2007: "Clean Up", ''Deep Hearted'', Strong Arm Steady

2008: "Give It Up", Thee Adventures Of A B-Boy D-Boy, Muja Messiah

2008: "Hold Tight", The Million Dollar Backpack, Skillz

2008: "Cause I'm Black", ''Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman)'', Styles P

2009: "Hot Shyt", "Back to the Feature", Wale

2009: "Live Forever", ''Velvet Ballads'', Cradle Orchestra

2009: "Philly Boy", Rádio do Canibal, BK-One

2009: "Reality TV", Jay Stay Paid, J Dilla

2009: "Slow Down", Chiddy Bang

2010: "Philadelphia Born and Raised", Meek Mill

2010: "Ill Street Blues", More Demand 2, STS

2010: "In tha Park", Apollo Kids, Ghostface Killah

2010: "Philly Sh*t Remix, Young Chris, Meek Mill & Eve

2011: "The Masters of Our Fates", Raekwon

2011: "Too Long" The Greatest Story Never Told Saigon (rapper)

2011: "Million Star Motel", Pennies In A Jar, Nikki Jean

2011: "Riot" LA Riot, Thurz

2011: "God Knows Why", Soul is Heavy, Nneka

2012: "Living in Bunkers", ''Drinking From the Sun'', Hilltop Hoods

Filmography

''Bamboozled'' (2000)

''Brooklyn Babylon'' (2001)

''Perfume'' (2001)

''Brown Sugar'' (2002)

''Love Rome'' (2004)

''Explicit IIIs'' (2008)

''In NorthWood'' (2009)

''Night Catches Us'' (2010)

''Yelling to the Sky'' (2011)

References

External links

TheRoots.com - Official website of The Roots

Black Thought discography

Category:Living people Category:African-American actors Category:African American rappers Category:American vegetarians Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Millersville University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:Rappers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:The Roots members Category:1971 births

de:Black Thought es:Black Thought pl:Black Thought pt:Black Thought

name	Fat Joe
background	solo_singer
birth name	Joseph Antonio Cartagena
birth date	August 19, 1970
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
alias
genre	East Coast hip hop, mafioso rap, hardcore hip hop
occupation	Rapper
years active	1992–present
label	Terror Squad Entertainment, Relativity, Atlantic, Imperial, E1
associated acts	Big Punisher, Terror Squad, D.I.T.C., DJ Premier, Cool & Dre, Scott Storch, Streetrunner, Just Blaze, DJ Infamous, Scoop DeVille, The Beatnuts, Kool G Rap, Apache, Grand Puba, R. Kelly, KRS-One, Raekwon, Jadakiss, Big L, Capone-N-Noreaga, Diddy, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Irv Gotti, Jennifer Lopez, Busta Rhymes, DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Kill All Rats
website	www.myspace.com/fatjoe }}

Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad.

Fat Joe's first album was ''Represent'', released in 1993, followed by ''Jealous One's Envy'' in 1995. From 1998 to 2006, he was signed to Atlantic Records, releasing four albums under the label, ''Don Cartagena'' in 1998, ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' in 2001, ''Loyalty'' in 2002, and ''All or Nothing'' in 2005. Around the release of ''All or Nothing'', Fat Joe became involved in a highly publicized feud with another New York City-based rapper 50 Cent, who attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank". His most popular song in which he performed was his Remy Ma duet "Lean Back" with Terror Squad. The song was a number-one hit in the summer of 2004.

Starting in 2006, when his album ''Me, Myself, & I'' was released, Fat Joe was signed to Imperial Records, which distributes through Terror Squad Entertainment. His follow up album was''The Elephant in the Room'', which was released in 2008; ''Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)'', the sequel to ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'', was released in October 2009. His tenth album ''The Darkside Vol. 1'' was released on July 27, 2010.

Early life

Fat Joe was born on August 19, 1970 in the southern Bronx area of New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. He lived in public housing and began stealing at a young age to support his family. He also states that he was a bully in his childhood. His brother introduced him to rap music. As a teenager, he was highly influenced by fellow Latino rapper Big Pun. Fat Joe explained the rapper's influence on him by saying "Latinos before us who had the opportunity to do it just didn't know how to do it. They came in trying to do this black music, waving flags. [But] we're trying to kick in the doors for other Latinos and represent our people, and it shows."

Music career

1992–1995: Early years

Under stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta and part of the Diggin' in the Crates (D.I.T.C.) rap group, Cartagena was signed to Relativity Records in the early 1990s, recording material and working with many artists who he would later sign to his own label. In 1993, his debut album, ''Represent'', was released, featuring production from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Lord Finess, and others. Its lead single, "Flow Joe" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart; other minor singles from the album included "Watch the Sound" and "This Shit is Real".

In 1995, Fat Joe released his second studio album, ''Jealous One's Envy'', which peaked at #71 on The Billboard 200 and at #7 on Top R&B;/Hip Hop Albums. The album featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D. The lead single was Success, which did not chart, but his second single, "Envy" peaked at #8 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The success of this album led Fat Joe to be featured on the remix of LL Cool J's single "I Shot Ya" along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.

1998–2005: Signing to Atlantic Records, Terror Squad, feud with 50 Cent

Released in 1998, ''Don Cartagena'' was Joe's third album and his first for Atlantic Records. It peaked on The Billboard 200 at #7 and #2 on Top R&B;/Hip Hop albums, eventually being certified gold by the RIAA.

The album featured two hit singles "Bet Ya Man Can't Triz", and "Don Cartagena". Guest appearances included Nas, Diddy, Big Pun, Raekwon, Jadakiss, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Within the album, Fat Joe debuted his own group Terror Squad that consisted of the late Big Pun, as well as Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon and later Remy Ma. Joe himself acknowledged, in an interview with HipHopGame.com, that he has received criticism for releasing only one solo album by a former Terror Squad member, Remy Ma, as well as barely featuring original members Prospect and Armageddon on "True Story." Terror Squad singer Tony Sunshine has had possible album release dates pushed back over three years, and Joe had stated that artists Prospect and Armageddon have not released solo albums yet as the result of them being "really lazy". Former Terror Squad member Triple Seis also went on record when asked who had written Fat Joe's lyrics, stating that he and Pun were Joe's ghostwriters, and asserts that Joe continues to hire ghostwriters. In 1999, he appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single "Feelin' So Good" from her ''On the 6'' album with late rapper Big Pun.

Fat Joe released his fourth album ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' in 2001, featuring production from the then-popular Irv Gotti. The album featured a star-studded line up from the likes of Ashanti, Ja Rule, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., Ludacris, R. Kelly, Buju Banton, and artists from his Terror Squad label. The lead single "We Thuggin'" featuring R. Kelly was a big hit in late 2001, but would not reach the level of the Irv Gotti-produced "What's Luv?" which was a massive hit in early 2002 and featured The Inc. superstars Ja Rule and Ashanti. The album was Fat Joe's biggest hit as it was successful from its January release all the way into May, being certified platinum. However, Fat Joe's fifth album ''Loyalty'', released later in 2002 and featuring production from Irv Gotti, was not as successful.

In 2003, Fat Joe was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singer Thalía. The same year, he and Tony Sunshine performed the single "Crush Tonight" from ''Loyalty'' on the Comedy Central program ''Chappelle's Show'', hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle.

Despite the setback, Fat Joe scored a number-one hit in 2004 with his group Terror Squad, collaborating with Remy Ma on the Scott Storch production "Lean Back" from the album ''True Story''. The song was criticized twice by conservative columnist L. Brent Bozell III for its extensive use of obscenity. However, Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic called the song "a perfect club-ready duet between Joe and Remy Ma that boasts a trademark Scott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".

A year later, in 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth album ''All or Nothing'', noted for featuring the popular diss track "My Fofo", aimed at fellow New York rapper 50 Cent, who had dissed Joe for recording with Ja Rule. ''All or Nothing'' spawned the singles "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin" featuring Nelly, also with guest appearances from Eminem, Mase, Remy Ma, Mashonda, and R. Kelly. Responding to "My Fofo", 50 Cent attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank" from his best-selling 2005 album ''The Massacre''. Fat Joe subsequently attacked 50's street credibility and called him a "coward" on a phone interview with Kay Slay of New York City hip-hop radio station WQHT. The conflict carried on at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, while Fat Joe introduced the reggaeton act featuring Daddy Yankee, Joe remarked, "I feel safe with all the police protection—courtesy of G-Unit." Shortly after, when MTV switched to a commercial break, 50 Cent directed an obscenity at Joe, and 50 Cent jumped on stage as Fat Joe was leaving.

2006–2008: Me, Myself & I, The Elephant in the Room, the 50 Cent feud continued, and more

''Me, Myself & I'', released in 2006, is Fat Joe's seventh album. It was his first album released on his new deal with Virgin Records. It featured the hit single "Make It Rain" with southern rapper Lil Wayne, followed by "No Drama (Clap and Revolve)". Fat Joe did a freestyle cipher segment for VH1's "Freestyle 59" competition in October 2006 prior to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors featuring New Jersey emcee Neuse.

In June 2007, the Reverend Michael Pfleger targeted Fat Joe as among several rappers he believed promoted misogyny in his billboard campaign "Stop Listening to Trash", which was launched June 18, 2007 throughout Chicago, Illinois, where Pfleger preaches. Also that month, Fat Joe was featured in the DJ Khaled singles "We Takin' Over" alongside Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Birdman, and Lil Wayne and the remix to Khaled's "I'm So Hood" with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Ludacris, and Birdman. Verbal disputes between Fat Joe and 50 Cent continued during this time period: in September 2007, on the BET program ''Rap City'', 50 Cent accused Fat Joe of being cowardly for not willing to confront him, but Fat Joe dismissed this claim as nonsense. Later in January, 50 Cent released another Fat Joe diss, called "Southside Nigga (I'm Leaving)". At the end of January 2008, Fat Joe and his longtime accountant Brian Dittrich both denied rumors spreading on the Internet that Fat Joe owed the IRS in taxes.

Fat Joe's eighth solo studio album ''The Elephant in the Room'' was distributed by Imperial Records, a division of Capitol Records and Terror Squad Entertainment, and released on March 11, 2008; its lead single was "I Won't Tell" featuring singer J. Holiday. The album debuted at the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100. "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin'" followed and featured Plies.

On March 20, 2008, shortly after record sales were released for Fat Joe's new album ''The Elephant in the Room'', 50 Cent released a video via his YouTube account, which features the "funeral" of Fat Joe, which shows 50 Cent crying in the fake footage. 50 Cent then talks about Fat Joe's record sales, and states that he ended Fat Joe's career (like he says he did to Ja Rule's) and that his mixtape blew out Fat Joe's album.

2009: Jealous Ones Still Envy 2

Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album, ''J.O.S.E. 2'', was released towards the end of June 2009. The project reprises the title of Joe’s 2002 RIAA-Certified Platinum release, ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'', and marked Joe’s third release since bringing his Terror Squad imprint to the EMI family in 2006. For this album, Joe has reached out to many artists, landing assists from Ron Browz, Fabolous, Lil' Kim, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Akon. Producers include Jim Jonsin, The Inkredibles, and frequent collaborator StreetRunner. "One", featuring Akon, was the first single. The album was released on October 6, 2009 and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. It debuted on The Billboard 200 at #73.

2010: Signing to E1 Music and ''The Darkside''

In January 2010, Fat Joe announced that he was working on a new album, ''The Darkside Vol. 1''. MTV News reported that Fat Joe intended "all the material...to be much harsher" than his previous album. Production comes from The Alchemist, Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, DJ Premier, Scoop DeVille, Just Blaze, Scram Jones, Raw Uncut and DJ Infamous with guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, R Kelly, Clipse, Cam'ron, Rico Love, Too $hort, TA and Young Jeezy. The first single from ''The Darkside Vol. 1'' is "(Ha Ha) Slow Down," which features Young Jeezy. The second single off the album is "If It Ain't About Money" and features Trey Songz.

On March 28, 2010 Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music. ''The Darkside Vol. 1'' was released on July 27, 2010 and sold approximately 12,000 copies in the first week and entered the Billboard 200 at #27.

On August 6, 2010 Fat Joe was interviewed on MTV RapFix Live by Sway. Fat Joe announced in the interview that he planned to record 2 more volumes of ''The Darkside'' and then retire.

2011–present: Darkside Vol. 2 mixtape and new album

Joe was featured on a remix to DJ Khaled's song "Welcome to My Hood", which also features Ludacris, T-Pain, Bust Rhymes, Twista, Mavado, Birdman, Ace Hood, Game, Jadakiss, Bun B and Waka Flocka Flame. It is included as the final track on Khaled's fifth studio album ''We the Best Forever''.

In an interview with XXL Magazine on September 21, 2011 Fat Joe stated ''Darkside Vol. 2'' is going to be his first ever official mixtape and will feature the Mark Henry produced songs "Massacre on Madison" and "Drop a Body", both of which were released earlier in the year. Joe went on to say he is also working on an album which is yet to be named but the first single is called "Another Round" produced by Cool and Dre and Young Lad and features Chris Brown.On October 19, 2011 ''Another Round'' the first single off Joe's yet to be named eleventh studio album was released on iTunes

Personal life

Family

Fat Joe currently lives in Miami and is married with three children.

Community work

Fat Joe has been back to his old school in the Bronx, New York to donate computers for the students.

In 2008 He attended the grand opening of the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Miami which was community outreach project set up by Ben Chavis for the youth to hang out and do things such as record music, use the computers and play on Xbox 360s.

At a "School is Cool" assembly in Public School 5 in Jersey City, New Jersey on June 11, 2009, Fat Joe was a speaker.

Weight loss

By 1996, he weighed 300 pounds. In 2005, ''Stuff'' magazine and ''ContactMusic.com'' profiled Fat Joe's weight loss efforts.

In 2011, Fat Joe unveiled his latest weight loss efforts in the video for his song "Drop a Body" after shedding 88 pounds off his previous weight of 350 pounds. He has said although he loves to eat KFC, McDonald’s and other less healthy foods he had to stop due to losing several friends, including former Terror Squad member Big Pun to obesity and he wanted to stay alive to see his children grow up. He lost the weight without the help of supplements and fad diets by combining 2 hour cardio and weight lifting sessions with proper eating habits. Instead of Burger King, KFC, and McDonald’s, he opted for smaller portioned meals of fruit, vegetables, and lean meats. Furthermore he follows a low-carb approach, eating some sweet potatoes but not eating bread, rice and pasta.

Basketball

Fat Joe is a huge fan of the New York Knicks and was involved in convincing Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to sign with them.

Legal issues

On September 8, 1998, Fat Joe and Big Pun were arrested on assault charges for hitting a man with a baseball bat and stealing the man's gold chain on June 14 that year.

Joe was arrested again on May 12, 2002 for allegedly fighting with another man at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square, but the charges were dropped on January 10, 2003.

In two murder cases, Fat Joe has been named a witness:

Joe's former bodyguard, Jose Mulero (also known as Sing Sing), was arrested on September 17, 2004 for the April 15, 1994 shooting death of 16-year-old Ernesto Rivera at a Bronx nightclub. Responding to a subpoena, Fat Joe claimed to have heard the shooting and seen people fleeing the scene, but investigators argued that he was standing closer to Mulero, by a door.

Miami Beach police also named Fat Joe as a witness in a Memorial Day double homicide outside David's Cafe II in South Beach. Jermaine ''Wufgang'' Chamberline of Miami Gardens was accused of shooting Lessli Paz and Joey Navarro to death on that morning; Fat Joe and the two victims were sitting in a rented Cadillac Escalade parked outside the restaurant when a fight broke out between passengers and another man.

LGBT people

During an interview with Vlad TV, Joe stated that while not gay himself, gay people should not hide their sexuality and stand by what they are. He mentioned that it's possible that he has done songs with gay rappers and that there are likely several gay people besides just rappers in the Hip Hop industry who are in the closet, describing it as a "Gay Mafia".

His comments came after being asked to comment on Mister Cee being arrested for public lewdness with a transgender.

Discography

Studio Albums

''Represent'' (1993, as Fat Joe da Gangsta)

''Jealous One's Envy'' (1995)

''Don Cartagena'' (1998)

''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' (2001)

''Loyalty'' (2002)

''All or Nothing'' (2005)

''Me, Myself & I'' (2006)

''The Elephant in the Room'' (2008)

''Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)'' (2009)

''The Darkside Vol. 1'' (2010) ''TBA'' (2012)

Filmography

''Thicker Than Water'' (1999) - Lonzo Medina

''Prison Song'' (2001)

''Empire'' (2002)

''Scary Movie 3'' (2003) - ''As Himself''

''Happy Feet'' (2006) - voice of Seymour

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

Latin hip hop

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

Official website (archived from 2009)

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:American voice actors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Diggin' in the Crates Crew members Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:Imperial Records artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:People from the Bronx Category:Terror Squad members

ar:فات جو cs:Fat Joe da:Fat Joe de:Fat Joe es:Fat Joe fa:فت جو fr:Fat Joe fy:Fat Joe ko:팻 조 it:Fat Joe he:פאט ג'ו sw:Fat Joe hu:Fat Joe nl:Fat Joe ja:ファット・ジョー no:Fat Joe pl:Fat Joe pt:Fat Joe ro:Fat Joe ru:Fat Joe fi:Fat Joe sv:Fat Joe tr:Fat Joe uk:Fat Joe

name	Joell Ortiz
background	solo_singer
birth date	July 06, 1978
origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
genre	Hip hop
years active	2002 - present
label	Aftermath, E1 (former), Shady Records
associated acts	Slaughterhouse, The LOX, Dr. Dre, Bad Meets Evil
website
notable instruments	}}

Joell Ortiz (born July 6, 1978) is an American independent rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.

Biography

Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of ''The Source'' Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in ''XXL'' Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song Mean Business a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with KRS-One and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles" April 24, 2007, on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick features productions from Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel. Joell Ortiz is 1/4 of supergroup Slaughterhouse who released their highly anticipated ''Slaughterhouse'' EP on February 8, 2011. The group are also releasing their highly anticipated second studio album "Welcome To: Our House" on the May 15, 2012.

Music career

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled ''The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)'' April 24, 2007 on Koch Records. ''The Brick'' features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and The Alchemist, among others. Guest artists include rappers Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, and Ras Kass.

Departure from Aftermath and joining Slaughterhouse

Ortiz parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment on April 15, 2008.

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, ''Halfway House''. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K-Young, and The New Royales. In 2010 the group signed to Shady Records and left E1 Entertainment.

A remix of Joell Ortiz' "Hip Hop" featuring Jadakiss and Saigon appeared on a fictitious urban radio station in the popular video game GTA IV.

''Free Agent'' and new labelr

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and after almost a year, Ortiz left the label on November 5, 2010. In August 2010 Ortiz was in talks, about signing a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records. However the deal was never finished.

In an October 31, 2010, interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Ortiz discussed his relationship with Eminem and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his Free Agent album is released. He also spoke of Eminem's excitement at working with him.

In 2011, Ortiz became an unsigned independent artist, after failing to sign with SRC Records.

During Slaughterhouse 2012 tour, the group stopped in Las Vegas, Nevada at Bootleg Kev's radio show, where they talked about their upcoming album Welcome to: Our House, their work with Eminem, and was revealed that Ortiz is now signed to Shady Records as a solo act.

Controversy

Following the release of his 2011 song "Big Pun Back", Ortiz received criticism from Liza Rios (Pun's widow) along with Tony Sunshine and Cuban Link of Terror Squad, claiming the song was "disrespectful" to the late rapper's memory. Ortiz claims the song was meant to be a tribute, and later Fat Joe spoke up in his defense.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions
		! scope="col" style="width:40px;"	! scope="col" style="width:40px;"	! scope="col" style="width:40px;"	! scope="col" style="width:40px;"	! scope="col" style="width:40px;"
2007		*Released: April 24, 2007	*Label: E1 Music	—	49	23	16	40
2011	align="left"	*Released: February 22, 2011	*Label: E1 Music	173	33	15	2	22
2012		*Released: TBA, 2012	*Label: E1 Music	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA

EP's

2010: ''Farewell Summer EP''

Collaboration albums

2009: ''Slaughterhouse'' (with Slaughterhouse)

2011: ''Slaughterhouse EP'' (with Slaughterhouse)

2012: ''Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse)

Mixtapes

2007: ''Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz?'' (Hosted Big Mike)''

2009: ''Joell Ortiz Covers the Classics''

2009: ''Road Kill''

2010: ''Defying The Predictable'' (with Novel)

2010: ''Me, Myself, & I''

2010: ''Pre-Agent''

2010: ''Project Boy''

2010: ''Me, Myself & I (Part 2)''

2011: ''Me, Myself & I (Part 3)''

TBA: ''The Life and Times of Sebastian Rios''

Singles

{|class="wikitable" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- | style="text-align:center;"|2007 | "Hip Hop" | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— ||''The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' |- | style="text-align:center;"|2010 | "Call Me (She Said)" (featuring Novel) | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |rowspan=2|''Free Agent'' |- | style="text-align:center;"|2011 | "So Hard" (featuring Ana Yvette) | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |}

Featured Singles

{|class="wikitable" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- | style="text-align:center;"|2011 | "We Keep It Rockin" (Maino featuring Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones, Jadakiss & Joell Ortiz) | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— ||''The Day After Tomorrow'' |- | style="text-align:center;"|2011 | "Currency" (Emcee Composition featuring Joell Ortiz) | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— ||''Garden Statements'' |}

References

External links

Champmag.com

Category:1978 births Category:Living people category:Underground rappers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Slaughterhouse members

de:Joell Ortiz es:Joell Ortiz nl:Joell Ortiz pl:Joell Ortiz tr:Joell Ortiz

name	Mos Def
background	solo_singer
birth name	Dante Terrell Smith
alias	Yasiin Bey
birth date	December 11, 1973
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
genre	East Coast hip hop, alternative hip hop
occupation	Rapper, actor, singer, activist
years active	1994 – present
label	Rawkus, Priority, Geffen, Downtown, GOOD Music, DD172
associated acts	Soulquarians, Black Star, Talib Kweli, Native Tongues Posse, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Pharoahe Monch, Eminem
notable instruments	}}

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an American actor and MC, known by the stage names Mos Def () and Yasiin Bey. 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. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album ''Black Star'' in 1998. He was a major force in late 1990s underground hip hop while with 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 has garnered critical acclaim for his acting work. He is well known for his portrayal of Brother Sam in American drama series ''Dexter''. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political causes.

Early life

He was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Sheron Smith and Abdul Rahman. He was raised by his mother in Brooklyn; his father lived in New Jersey. 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 Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.

Career

Music

In 1996, Mos Def emerged as a solo artist and worked with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic".

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 released in 2006.

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".

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 debut 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.

In September 2011, Mos Def announced that he planned to use the name Yasiin instead of Mos Def beginning in 2012.

In January 2012, it was reported that Mos Def and Talib Kweli had begun "to resurrect" Black Star.

Acting

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 NYPD Blue, 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 2007, Mos Def narrated the PBS-broadcast documentary ''Prince Among Slaves''.

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, he began a multi-episode appearance on the Showtime television series ''Dexter''. He played 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.

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

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. 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.

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 learn about the crime and social problems of the community.

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)

''Yasiin Bey Presents'' (TBA) ;Collaborations

''Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star'' (1998) (with Talib Kweli as Black Star)

''Black Star Aretha'' (2012) (with Talib Kweli as Black Star) ''G.O.O.D. Music: The Album'' (2012) (with GOOD Music)

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) ''Dexter (TV series)

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
rowspan="3"	2010	I'm Still Here'' ||	Himself
''Bouncing Cats''	Himself
''Yo Gabba Gabba!''	Super Mr. Superhero
2011	Dexter'' ||	Brother Sam	Season 6, ''recurring'', (credited as "Mos" in 2 episodes, "yasiin bey" in 3 episodes)

References

External links

Mos Def / Dante Smith discographies at Discogs.

Mos Def at Geffen Records.

Mos Def at Emmys.com

Category:1973 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African-American actors Category:African American Muslims Category:Converts to Islam 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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