Mos Def Biography

Biography

was put behind as Def later delightfully got invited to join the Native Tongues Posse, which proved to pave his initial way in the business.

The turning point under the affiliation, known for their positive-minded, good-naturedly Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats, ultimately took shape when the teen wonderfully landed chances to have cameo appearances on Soul's "Big Brother Beat" and Bush Babee's "Love Song" in 1996. Showcasing his intelligent rhyme skills as well as his charm and charisma, it was not really surprising to afterwards see him strike a deal with Royalty Records, through which he was able to release his own first single "Universal Magnetic." A massive underground hit, the composition joyously led Def to a more high-profile collaboration with Talib Kweli under the moniker of Black Star, whose self-titled album became one of the most discussed works in 1998 following its launch on August 26 that year via Rawkus Records.

No doubt received large exposure as consequence, Def cleverly used the hype surrounding him to launch his solo debut "Black on Both Sides" featuring notable names like Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, and Vinia Mojica a year later on October 12. The strategy amazingly turned out to be more than ...

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just effective as the LP superbly soared to the third rank of Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the same year, in the meantime spawning a hit song of "Ms. Fat Booty" which peaked at number fifteen on Hot Rap Singles. Later even being certified Gold by RIAA, the piece of work unmistakably evoked further attention to place the rapper among the elites of the hip-hop community.

In spite of the attainment, Def boldly took quite a long pause in the business to rebuild his acting career by the time he welcomed the third millennium, starring in "Monster's Ball" (2001), "Brown Sugar" (2002), and "The Italian Job" (2003), among others before returning with sophomore album "The New Danger" on October 19, 2004, this time under Interscope/Geffen Records. The result was extremely satisfying for it wondrously secured the runner-up position on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums while its single "Sex, Love and Money" gloriously directed him to score a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance in 2005. The delight got doubled when he successfully snatched a Golden Globe Award nod in Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television through his role in "Something the Lord ...