Together for Palestine
2025 · Movie
as Self
Yasiin Bey
1973-12-11
•
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor. Regarded as one of hip hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def, has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996), he became an underground favorite in the hip-hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. He followed with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip hop back to its soapbox roots. He was a former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, and continued acting as an adult after launching his rap career. He appeared in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007. He completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning, Topdog/Underdog. He then re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play Fucking A, for which he earned an Obie Award. In 2003, he starred in The Italian Job alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. In 2004, he starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. He was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role. He continued his music career by releasing his highly anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (2004). The first single, "Sex, Love and Money" earned him a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance, and the album has been certified gold by the RIAA. The following year, he appeared alongside Bruce Willis in the crime thriller 16 Blocks (2006), in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, and had a cameo appearance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Also in 2006, he released his third solo album, True Magic. The next year, he appeared in the 2007 PBS historical documentary, Prince Among Slaves, and in 2008 he played the role of Chuck Berry in Cadillac Records. In 2009, he released the album The Ecstatic, which proved to be his second highest-charting album to date. He then appeared in the urban comedy Next Day Air, and (as himself) in the 2010 mockumentary film I’m Still Here, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Mos Def announced in September of 2011 that he changed his name to Yasiin Bey, and would go by it henceforth. In the first month of 2016, Bey declared his retirement from both the film and music industries. In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".
Filmography
Part of Me
2023 · Movie
as Himself
Gorillaz | MTV World Stage
2023 · Movie
as Mos Def
Hargrove
2022 · Movie
as Self
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
2022 · TV Show
as Self (archive footage)
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light
2021 · Movie
Gorillaz: Reject False Icons
2019 · Movie
as Mos Def
French Tour
2016 · Movie
as Focé
Amy
2015 · Movie
as Self
Begin Again
2014 · Movie
as Saul
Life of Crime
2013 · Movie
as Ordell Robbie
No image
Standard Operating Procedure
2013 · Movie
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012 · Movie
as Self
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
2011 · Movie
as Self
A Man's Story
2011 · Movie
as Self
I'm Still Here
2010 · Movie
as Mos Def
No image
Bouncing Cats
2010 · Movie
The Making of Plastic Beach
2010 · Movie
as Mos Def
Gorillaz: Live at Roundhouse in London
2010 · Movie
as Mos Def
Next Day Air
2009 · Movie
as Eric
Be Kind Rewind
2008 · Movie
as Mike
In Prison My Whole Life
2008 · Movie
as Self
Cadillac Records
2008 · Movie
as Chuck Berry
Prince Among Slaves
2008 · Movie
as Narrator
Fats Waller Was Born Here
2008 · Movie
as "Fats" Wallter/Mike (as Mos Def)
Yo Gabba Gabba!
2007 · TV Show
16 Blocks
2006 · Movie
as Eddie Bunker
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2006 · Movie
as Mos Def
Journey to the End of the Night
2006 · Movie
as Wemba
Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
2006 · Movie
Coachella
2006 · Movie
as Self - Interviewee
September in Brooklyn: The Making of Block Party
2006 · Movie
as Self
Dexter
2006 · TV Show
as Brother Sam
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
2005 · Movie
as Self - (as Mos Def)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005 · Movie
as Ford Prefect
Lackawanna Blues
2005 · Movie
as The Bandleader
Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
2005 · Movie
as Self
Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth
2005 · Movie
as Self (as Mos Def)
Alicia Keys: Unplugged
2005 · Movie
as Self
The Boondocks
2005 · TV Show
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005 · TV Show
as Self
Something the Lord Made
2004 · Movie
as Vivien Thomas
The Woodsman
2004 · Movie
as Sgt. Lucas
House
2004 · TV Show
as Lee
The Italian Job
2003 · Movie
as Left Ear
Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
2003 · Movie
as Self
Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
2003 · Movie
as Himself
Chappelle's Show
2003 · TV Show
as Self - Black Star
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003 · TV Show
as Self - Musical Guest
Real Time with Bill Maher
2003 · TV Show
as Self
Civil Brand
2002 · Movie
as Michael Meadows
Brown Sugar
2002 · Movie
as Chris Anton 'Cav' Vichon
Showtime
2002 · Movie
as Lazy Boy
Monster's Ball
2001 · Movie
as Ryrus Cooper
Carmen: A Hip Hopera
2001 · Movie
as Lt. Miller
My Wife and Kids
2001 · TV Show
The Proud Family
2001 · TV Show
as Mos Def (voice)
Bamboozled
2000 · Movie
as Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
2000 · Movie
as Himself
Island of the Dead
2000 · Movie
as Robbie J
Mark Twain Prize
1999 · TV Show
as Self - Musical Guest
Where's Marlowe?
1998 · Movie
as Wilt Crawley
Ghosts
1997 · Movie
as Dante
The View
1997 · TV Show
as Self
Brooklyn South
1997 · TV Show
as Darius
Spin City
1996 · TV Show
as Monty
The Cosby Mysteries
1994 · TV Show
Split Images
1992 · Movie
as Curtis Roy
Here and Now
1992 · TV Show
as Alonzo
HBO First Look
1992 · TV Show
as Self
The Hard Way
1991 · Movie
as Dead Romeos
You Take the Kids
1990 · TV Show
as Raymond Kirkland
God Bless the Child
1988 · Movie
as Richard Watkins
Saturday Night Live
1975 · TV Show
as Self - Musical Guest
Tony Awards
1956 · TV Show
as Self - Performer
No image
Dave Chappelle's Block Party 2
· Movie
as Self
No image
Gorillaz Tottenham Hotspur Stadium documentary
· Movie
as Self
