Mos Def

Regarded as one of hip-hop’s most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. With the release of Universal Magnetic, Mos became an underground favorite in the hip-hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed the group 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. He released a new studio album in 2007 titled True Magic (Goodtree Media/Geffen Records). The Estactic marked the artist and activist’s fourth solo release and highly anticipated return to recording.  Heralded as his finest full length to date, the album was met by praise across the board for its hard hitting rhythms including Esquire Magazine who said “Because there is no better lyricist (or deliverer of lyrics) in music. Not hip-hop. Music.”

As with his music, Mos has demonstrated insight and passion with his acting career. He has appeared in the critically acclaimed projects Monster’s Ball, The Italian Job, the HBO movie Something the Lord Made, The Woodsman, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and 16 Blocks. He also recently completed filming Be Kind, Rewind, directed by Michel Gondry, in which he stars alongside Jack Black. Mos completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog; and re-teamed with the playwright Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play Fucking A, for which he was awarded an Obie Award. In addition, Mos has served as the host, music supervisor and co-executive producer for the HBO series Def Poetry, which returned for its sixth season in 2007. He has received Grammy, Golden Globe, EMMY, NAACP Image Award nominations for his work.