Mos Def

The artistic boundaries of rap music had been redefined by artists such as Brand Nubian, De La Soul, and Public Enemy, whose music was more thematically sophisticated and socially conscious than that of their predecessors. By the early 1990s however, this brand of rap had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Socially aware rap music (alternative hip hop) has experienced something of a renaissance in the late 1990s and now the 2000s, in part due to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, The Roots and others. Def's music often references his Islamic faith and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll music.

The first years of the 2000s have established Mos Def as a notable actor. His performances in Brown Sugar, Monster's Ball, and the HBO made-for-TV film Something The Lord Made have been particularly acclaimed by critics. He also landed the role of Ford Prefect in the long-awaited 2005 movie adaption of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In 2004, he hosted the MOBO awards in London, after the original presenter, Pharrell Williams pulled out at the last minute.

Since the beginning of Def Poetry Jam, the award-winning spoken word show, he has been the host. The fifth season will be aired in 2005.

Samples

• Download sample of "Mathematics" from Black on Both Sides (ogg format)

Discography

• 1998 Black Star Priority Records
• 1999 Black on Both Sides Rawkus Records
• 2004 The New Danger Geffen
  • nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, 47th Annual Grammy Awards

Filmography

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – 2005
• Lackawanna Blues – 2005
• Something the Lord Made – 2004
  • nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, 56th Annual Emmy Awards
  • nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
  • nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, 36th NAACP Image Awards
• The Woodsman – 2004
• The Italian Job – 2003
• Brown Sugar – 2002
  • nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, 34th NAACP Image Awards
• Civil Brand – 2002
• Showtime – 2002
• Monster's Ball – 2001
• Carmen: A Hip Hopera – 2001
• Bamboozled – 2000
• Island of the Dead – 2000
• Where's Marlowe? – 1998
• Ghosts – 1997

External links

• Official Mos Def site
• Mos Def at the Internet Movie Database
• Semi-official Mos Def site
• The Woodsman site
• Official site for Something The Lord Made