Mos Def was born on December 11, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York, and is generally regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, by shaping a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. A child of hip-hop's Golden Era, the native Brooklynite spent his childhood imbedded in the culture surrounding him as well as absorbing knowledge from across the artistic spectrum.
With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996) Mos became an underground favorite, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are... Black Star,would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. Mos followed that release with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip-hop back to its soapbox roots.
As with his music, Mos has demonstrated insight and passion with his acting career. Most recently, he was nominated for an Emmy and won the Golden Globe for his starring role in HBO's "Something the Lord Made" and also starred in HBO's "Lackawanna Blues," directed by George C. Wolfe. On the big screen he starred in "The Woodsman" with Kevin Bacon.
His feature film credits include "The Italian Job," "Bamboozled," "Monster's Ball" and "Brown Sugar," for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. He also starred with Jeffrey Wright in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning play "TopDog/Underdog" on Broadway under the direction of George C. Wolfe. He received an Obie Award for the off-Broadway play "F---ing A." Mos Def also hosts the acclaimed HBO series "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry." His other TV credits include guest roles on "Spin City," "NYPD Blue" and "Chappelle's Show."
Prior to his role in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, he was probably most well known as "Left Ear " in the 2003 remake of the classic movie "The Italian Job".
Mos Def plays the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 big budget Disney movie, "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy."
Much of the information on this page was taken directly from the official US site. |
