1. By: Jaime Barba

2.  Dante Terrell Smith  December 11 th, 1973  Brooklyn, New York  Eldest of 12 Children  Attended High School in Bushwick  Dropped out sophomore year  Rapper, Actor, and Activist

3.  Took Hip Hop serious about 1994  Urban Thermo Dynamics  Features on few albums De La Soul and Da Bush Babees  Black Star with Talib Kweli in 1998

4.  Debut in 1998  First major album  Duo with Talib Kweli  Rawkus Records  Produced by Hi - Tek  Vital part of both Career  Leadin single “Defenition”

5.  Debut Album on Rawkus Records  Released on October 12 th, 1999  Most notably produced by DJ Premier (GangStarr) and Ali Shaheed (ATCQ)  Sounds included Jazz, Soul, Funk, and Rock  Live instrumental  Certified Gold  One of the last releases of the “Golden Era”  Only major features Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Bustah Rhymes  Favo  Favorite songs “ Mr. Nigga” & “Ms. Fat Booty”  https://youtu.be/N5NP8NN2_PM https://youtu.be/N5NP8NN2_PM

6.  First Album on Geffen Records  Released on October 19 th, 2004  Produced by Mos Def, Kanye West, and 88 Keys Mostly  Sounds from Jazz, Blues and Rock mostly  Very Instrumental and Experimental Album  Release at #5 on Billboards and #2 on Hip Hop/R&B Charts  Leading single is “Sex, Love, & Money”  Mixed reviews, now seen as great experimental work  Favorite songs “The Panties” & “Sunshine”  https://youtu.be/EWDhdXsNMG4 https://youtu.be/EWDhdXsNMG4

7.  Second Album on Geffen Records  Released December 26 th, 2006  Produced mostly by Preservation and The Neptunes  Sounds included Jazz, Funk, and Soul  One of his less know releases, limited release in the U.S.

8.  First album on GOOD Music  Released June 9 th, 2009  Produced by J. Dilla, Madlib, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash and Preservation  Sounds include Soul, Jazz, Rock, and Early Hip Hop Samples  Most highly praised album, least sold album  Interesting fact does a song in Spanish “No Hay Nada Mas”  Favorite songs “Auditorium” and “The Embassy”  https://youtu.be/hG_aGxlz7xc https://youtu.be/hG_aGxlz7xc

9.  Had been going by Yasiin Bey since 1999 but only friends and family called him that  Changed his name because he thinks Mos Def was and is being used as a product  As well Mos Def was a name that gave him many things  Part of the Nation of Islam

10.  Started acting in the late 8o’s  Kept acting throughout his music career  Done TV Filsm and sitcom roles in his early career  Movie roles as Mos Def and as well as TV Roles in the 2000’s  Includes The Italian Job, Next Day Air, Dexter, Boondocks and Cosby Mysteries

12.  http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.2 1099/title.mos-def-explains-name-change-to- yasiin-bey-discusses-fashion http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.2 1099/title.mos-def-explains-name-change-to- yasiin-bey-discusses-fashion  http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ mos-def-to-retire-the-name-mos-def-20110907 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ mos-def-to-retire-the-name-mos-def-20110907  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Def#1999. E2.80.932006:_Black_on_Both_Sides.2C_The_N ew_Danger_and_True_Magic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Def#1999. E2.80.932006:_Black_on_Both_Sides.2C_The_N ew_Danger_and_True_Magic  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080049/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080049/