Mos Def (now Yasiin Bey) is a Brooklyn-born rapper and actor at the heart of conscious hip hop. Black Star (1998), his duo album with Talib Kweli, and the solo Black on Both Sides (1999) are two of the defining underground hip hop records of the late '90s — start with either. Dig into Mos Def vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Dante Terrell Smith, performing as Mos Def (and as Yasiin Bey since 2011), was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 11, 1973. He converted to Islam in 1991 and adopted the name Yasiin Bey upon his 2011 announcement of retiring the Mos Def stage name. His collaborative work with Talib Kweli as Black Star - particularly the 1998 self-titled debut Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star - is widely cited as one of the most important hip hop albums of the late 1990s. His solo debut Black on Both Sides (1999) on Rawkus Records was a critical breakthrough. He has continued releasing material across multiple decades with parallel acting career. His foundational influence on contemporary alternative and conscious hip hop is widely documented. He has been involved in social justice causes, particularly around Black American experience, Islamic identity, and broader contemporary politics.
Mos Def's sound combines hip hop, conscious hip hop, alternative hip hop, jazz rap, neo-soul, and East Coast hip hop with his distinctive flow (combining rapping and singing approaches with Islamic and Afrocentric lyrical content), and collaborative output across multiple decades.
Rawkus Records, Geffen, and Downtown pressings of the Mos Def catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Mos Def typically start with Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998) or Black on Both Sides (1999).
