Mos Def

Posted on 11.2.2004

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Mos Def
Real Name : Dante Beze
Born : Dec 11th 1973
Hometown : Brooklyn, NY

Mos Def Biography :

Born Dante Beze on December 11th, 1973, Mos Def was originally a poet whose poems also worked as rhymes and has constantly proved himself to be one of hip-hops new-school visionaries - those who break the stereotype of the ’Gangsta rapper’ and take hip-hop and rap to new and exciting levels. At park emceeing cyphas and poetry readings were the first places he met his future partner Talib Kweli. By a mutual friend they were introduced and clicked because their style of poetic rhymes were comparable to each other.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mos grew up at the centre of hip-hops golden era of the 1980’s. Inspired by the superhero MC’s and New School leaders of the time (Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul), Mos began rhyming at the tender age of nine. As an emcee Mos Def first gained attention as part of the short lived trio formed with his younger sister : “Urban Thermo Dynamics”, who in 1993 signed a deal with Payday Records. But before they even got to release one album, they were thrown off the label. It’s a shame, because they had a style that wasn’t about guns or smoking blunts so it would have stood out in ’93. On their first record - ’My Kung Fu’ released in 1994, Mos’ talent was clear to see - exhibiting all of his trademark nasal flow and playful scatting.

This briefly made Mos Def give up on a career in hip hop, so he sought an acting career. He assisted Bill Cosby in the quickly cancelled "Cosby Mysteries", and also got exposure in advertisements for Visa and the Fannie Mae Foundation. This led to Mos Def getting cameos on shows such as "NYPD Blue", "Brooklyn South" and "Spin City". But Mos still went to poetry meetings, and that was where he got his big break. After UTD’s brief existence, Mos Def was invited to join the Native Tounges family, founded by Afrika Bambaataa and including established (and highly rated) artists like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest among its members. He met up with De La Soul’s DJ Maseo and they hit it off straight away. In no time, De La Soul had Mos Def dropping verses on "Big Brother Beats" from De La Souls ’96 album "Stakes is High" and the "Stakes is High" remix released soon after the LP. Also in 1996, Mos Def teamed up for the first time with his soon to be partner-in-rhyme Talib Kweli, producing the legendary ’Fortified Live’ collaboration.

This exposure got independant label Rawkus records to sign Mos Def onto the label in 1997. Mos’ first solo release was Rawkus’ sixth 12" single, "Universal Magnetic"/"If You Can Huh You Can Hear". This sold over 30,000 copies, a huge amount for an independent single, and gave Mos a bigger name and reputation. At Rawkus Mos Def found a label willing to play by ’his’ rules - "I liked being a free agent, I liked neogotiating my own terms, working with my own friends" With Mos’ new record deal came the instant underground classic ’Universal Magnetic’, combining a jazzy beat with Mos’ endless stream of pulsating rhymes, and catapulting Mos Def to an underground favourite.

Mos Def then shined on the lead single from Rawkus’ "Lyricist’s Lounge" compilation, "Body Rock" featuring Q-Tip and Tash that showed his undeniable talent. This track was great and in my mind was what made the compilation a success.

Suprisingly, Mos didn’t release more solo material straight after that. He and labelmate Talib Kweli put together the single "Definition"/"Twice Inna Lifetime" under the group “Black Star” named after the first Negro owned steamship company in Africa. In Talib Kweli Mos found a brother with the same beliefs, talent and mindset. They were originally scheduled to record an EP together, but the single’s immense popularity made Rawkus decide to let them record a full album. The result, "Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star", was a fantastic debut. Blackstar was designed to give the two MC’s more recognition, the lesser exposed Talib Kweli became an overnight success and Blackstar’s first album went on to become one of the most important albums of 1998. In 1999, three months before the highly publicised end of the millennium, Mos was ready to unveil his first solo album “Black On Both Sides”.

Mos Def is a precious MC, devoted to his music, with a passion for social consciousness and a divine ability to entertain which will surely cement his place in musical history. In a violent Hip-Hop world dominated by music full of guns, cussing and drugs - Mos Def is a hugely welcome change.

Mos def Discography :

True Magic
Label : Geffen Records
Released :December 29, 2006

New Danger
Label : Geffen Records
Released :October 12, 2004

Black On Both Side
Label : Priority Records
Released : December 12, 1999

Black Star
Label : Rawkus Records
Released : September 29, 1998

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