Impacters of Today
MOS DEF
Born December 11, 1973, Mos is an American actor and MC known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def grew up during the golden age of hip-hop and has rapped and acted since he was six. He attended Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He majored in Musical Theater at Talent Unlimited High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan. He studied at New York University in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Mos Def started his hip hop career in 1994 with a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, who released the album Black Star in 1998. He was a major force in the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion spearheaded by Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums Black on Both Sides in 1999, The New Danger in 2004, True Magic in 2006, and The Ecstatic in 2009.
Mos Def has also been active in several social and political issues and was particularly vocal in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mos Def has been a contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards the repair of the damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally by Smokey Johnson, “It Ain’t My Fault” with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.
Initially recognized for his musical output, since the early 2000s, Mos Def’s screen work has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who have garnered critical approval for their acting work. He began his professional acting career at the age of fourteen. His most notable acting role before his music career was that of Bill Cosby’s sidekick on the short-lived detective show, The Cosby Mysteries. In 1997 he had a small role alongside Michael Jackson in his short film and music video “Ghosts”. After brief appearances in Bamboozled and Monster’s Ball, Mos re-invigorated his acting career with his performance as a talented rapper who is reluctant to sign to a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated for an Image Award and a Teen Choice Award. In 2001, he took a supporting role to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.In 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks’
Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance. He also received positive notices as the quirky Left Ear in the blockbuster hit, The Italian Job in 2003. In television, Mos Def has appeared on Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show, and has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, Def Poetry since its inception. Mos Def won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. For his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in HBO’s film Something the Lord Made, he was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe, and won the Image Award. He also played a bandleader in HBO’s Lackawanna Blues. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Mos Def starred in the action film 16 Blocks alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He has a recurring guest role on Boondocks, starring as “Gangstalicious”. He made a cameo appearance — playing himself — in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In 2008, Mos Def starred in the Michel Gondry movie Be Kind Rewind, playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-star Jack Black. He also portrayed Chuck Berry in the film Cadillac Records, for which he was nominated for a Black Reel Award and an Image Award.
In 2009, he appeared in the House episode entitled “Locked In” as a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. His performance was well-received, with E! saying that Mos Def “delivers an Emmy-worthy performance.” He was also in the 2009 film Next Day Air.
He also made an appearance on the children’s show Yo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero.
Most recently, he appears in A Free Man of Color, John Guare’s play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.