Dante Terrell Smith A.K.A. Mos Def A.K.A. Yasiin Bey
Dante Terrell Smith was born on December 11, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, to Sharon Smith and Abdul Rahman. He is a devout Muslim, taking his shahada at age 19.
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He is a rapper.
He is an activist. He is an actor. He can do anything. |
He's worked with names like Talib Kweli, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Eminem, and Curren$y.
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Dante started his acting career at 14, starring in a TV movie, a Cosby Show spin-off, and a Visa Check card commercial until he appeared in a Broadway play, Topdog/Underdog, winning a special awardfrom the Outer Critics Circle for his performance with co-star Jeffrey Wright. From then on, he appeared in many more films and TV programs, such and The Italian Job, NYPD Blue,Chappelle's Show, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Talladega Nights, Be Kind Rewind, and Nickelodeon children's program, Yo Gabba Gabba!
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Mos Def is a strong political activist as well. Using his music as a medium through which he expresses his ideals and distaste with a current issue or topic in general. He and Talib Kweli, collaboratively known as Black Star, are well-known for doing this type of thing.