School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Yasiin Bey

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Yasiin Bey was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York, in 1973, and became known under the name Mos Def, short for most definitely. In 2011 he had his name officially changed. Yasiin is the name of the thirty-sixth sura of the Quran, and he said that all his life he had wanted to be seen as a person, not as a product. Before his music career he was a child actor in television films and series. In 1994 he began rapping in the group Urban Thermo Dynamics, together with his brother and sister.

Music and breakthrough

In 1996 he began as a soloist and worked with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees. At the label Rawkus Records he formed the duo Black Star with Talib Kweli. Their album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star came out in 1998, largely produced by Hi-Tek. His solo debut Black on Both Sides appeared in 1999. The New Danger followed in 2004, with his rock band Black Jack Johnson, True Magic in 2006 and The Ecstatic in 2009, on which Madlib provided much of the production. Later came Negus and, with Black Star, the record No Fear of Time in 2022. He also collaborated with Kanye West, The Roots and Gorillaz.

Influence

Bey is regarded as an important name in conscious hip hop. His lyrics are rich in wordplay and deal with political and social subjects, such as police violence and the position of African Americans. His style cannot be pinned down: he sings and raps, draws on soul, jazz and rock, and also played a large number of film roles. In doing so he showed that a rapper can be much more than a rapper.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Stylo by Gorillaz, on which Bey has a guest role alongside Bobby Womack. Notice how his calm, almost spoken voice sits next to the electronic beat and the soul singing.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists