Mos Def (Dante Terrell Smith) was born in an American city located in the famous New York area of Brooklyn. The future performer was born on December 11, 1973. The guy's family did not differ in special talents, however, the people around from the earliest years noted the artistry of the child. He sang songs with pleasure, recited poems during the so-called home concerts in front of enthusiastic guests.
The child liked playing in the theater, so he was happy to participate in such events. Over time, the guy began to write poetry. At the age of 9, the guy composed the first rap text. During the school years, the child took part in amateur performances.
Together with friends from his studies, he began to write songs and perform at concerts. One of the first works inspired schoolchildren to develop something more. This was the beginning of a grandiose project that won the hearts of a multi-million audience in the future.
How did it all start for Mos Def?
Mos Def gained wide popularity in the 90s, when fans began to show interest in the work of Urban Thermo Dynamics. The group was created by family members: brother and sister of a celebrity. At that time, hip-hop was at the peak of popularity. It was during this period that the skill of composing poems and reciting them came in handy.
In 1993, the team signed a cooperation agreement with Payday Records Corporation. The group was predicted a great future. The guys themselves were inspired by a new stage in their creative life.
However, cooperation with the record company ended with only two songs that came out of the studio. The disc called "Manifest Destiny" was never released, left to gather dust on the shelf. He lay there for ten years, until an active interest in the work of the team began.
Eyewitnesses say that in the early 90s, Mos Def showed a penchant for a certain musical direction, which he succeeded in doing. His original lyrics gathered fans and adherents of this style. The guy had a great opportunity to prove himself two years later.
During this time, he forgot about hip-hop, carried away by a primordially new thing for himself. In parallel, he developed an acting career that began in adolescence. In those days, when the boy was 14 years old, he was invited to take part in filming a movie. The multi-part feature film “Cosby Mysteries” lasted two years.
The continuation of the musical career of Mos Def
It's no secret that starting in 1997, a system began to emerge that linked hip-hop to gangsters. Only a small group of musicians managed to promote the musical direction by civilized methods, creating a favorable image of the performer. During this period, Mos meets a man who pulled him out of the filming of the series and offered him to record music.
At that time, the young man completely immersed himself in acting and did not dare to think about the career of a singer or music worker. However, life loves to present unexpected surprises. In the future, Maseo became his producer, and at that time he was impressed by the talent of Dante Terrell Smith.
One of the guy's first works was a verse on "Big Brother Beats" from the sensational album called "Stakes is High" by De La Soul. With varying success, our hero is moving forward in a new environment for him. It is accompanied by luck, as well as ups and downs. During this time period, he meets Talib Kweli. This gives a new round in the biography of musicians. The legalization of the style begins and its withdrawal from the raid of a dubious reputation.
Filming a movie and building a team
In 1997, Mos returned to acting in films. A little later, he received many awards in the industry. The public began to recognize the actor and wait for the release of his work. It's 2004, a young man, inspired by new perspectives, breaks into the music scene with the album "The New Danger".
The musician liked his work. It brought him real pleasure and the opportunity to fight for the rights of black people and the manifestation of their talents. Therefore, together with African Americans, he creates a team, calling it Black Jack Johnson. The team stayed afloat for a short time, and then broke up. Each went his own way.
In 2005, inspired by love, the performer went on the warpath with the wrong hip hop. On September 26, 2006, a new solo album "True Magic" was released. The struggle for pure music without violence and injustice continues throughout the creative stage in the life of a performer.
Under his pseudonym, he also released an album in 2009 called "The Ecstatic". Already in 2012, the artist decided to change his pseudonym, and from that moment he calls himself Yasiin Bey. With a new name, he creates an album in 2016 "Yasiin Bey Presents", which is currently considered the last in his biography.
Personal life of Mos Def
The musician married the former fiancée of the Canadian singer in 2005. Her name is Allana. Now the singer maintains pages on social networks, writes posts, calls in his publications to develop real music. We hope to hear more new compositions from Mos Def.
