Mos Def's The Spirit And Philosophy Of Hip Hop

One purist in hip hop stands out for me as someone who can embody the tenants asserted in Anthony Thomas’ essay, “The Spirit and Philosophy of Hip Hop.”

My purist of choice is Yassin Bey (born Dante Smith), more commonly known as “Mos Def”, his former stage name. Mos Def was born on December 11, 1973 in Brooklyn where he would gain his whole educational experience. Growing up in Brooklyn, Mos Def’s parents, Adbul Rahman and Sheron Smith, were not together. He lived with his mother with two of his sisters Jauhara and Chandani, and his brother Anwar, while the ret of his twelve siblings lived in New Jersey with his Father. Living in the Brooklyn projects during the 80’s crack era must have effected the way he views the world, especially since he has become so successful and seen so much. From an early age he has been interested in comedy, acting, and music.

Mos Def attended Phillippa Schiyler Middle, Talent Unlimited High, and New York University. Most people aren't familiar with Mos Def’s educational history, and know him from either his hip hop albums, or his

appearances in popular television shows. He has guest starred in Dexter, NCIS, and CSI. Coming up short each time, Mos Def was nominated for 6 Grammys. He also came short of one Golden Globe and one Emmy Award. He was awarded with Best Actor for “The Woodsman” from Black Reel Awards. Most used his passion for the arts to escape all the dangers surrounding a young man growing up in Brooklyn. Staying away from drugs and violence proved to propel him to opportunities he could have never imagined would be possible. All throughout middle and parts of high school Mos Def was participating in school productions. His freshman year of high school he was given first professional acting role in a TV movie “God Bless the Child.” Senior year at Talented Unlimited came with a reoccurring role on the TV series “You Take the Kids” out in California. He had to leave school to film, but he would eventually finish. In 1994, Mos Def earned his most well known acting role as Dante in “The Cosby Mysteries.” While working on The Cosby Mysteries during the day, Mos Def spent most of those nights recording music. Around 1996 is when he really began to make his voice heard in the hip hop community.
I have be a fan of Mos Def ever since I heard him rap with Talib Kwali in a rap group called “Black Star”. I always felt as if Mos Def had something important to say. He has never used his rap platform for anything negative, rather suggesting solutions to survive in America. In 1997, after releasing his single Universal Magnetic he landed a record deal with Rawkus Records. Black Star released their debut album in 1998, “Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star” which is considered by many to be the best hip hop album of that year. In 1999, Mos Def released his first solo album “Black on Both Sides.” Singles like, Ms. Fat Booty and Mathematics cemented him in his reputation of being one of the smarter and socially conscious rappers of the time. Rather than diving into the hip hop scene with his recent success, Yassin chose to dip back into acting.
Throughout the early 2000s, Mos Def went on a movie rampage. He appeared in Bamboozled, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Monster’s Ball, and The Italian Job. In 2004, his role in HBO miniseries “Something the Lord Made” earned him his nominations for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award. That same year, Mos Def returned to the studio for his second solo album “The New Danger” which once again reinforced his influence as a conscious rapper. “Sex, Love, and Money” the single from The New Danger received a Grammy nomination, falling short of the award losing to Jill Scott’s “Cross My Mind.” True Magic is Mos Def’s third studio album, and by far his least popular body of work. The content of the album just wasn't up to par with his usual output. Pitchfork, in an article written in 2007, described the album as the one thing that kept Mos Def from being a more popular rapper, if not the most popular of his era. He didn’t seem to be one with the music, the production was sloppy and the lyrics were subpar. True Magic confirmed what many people were already assuming, Mos Def was not as deeply invested into the music as we all wished.
From 2002 to 2007 Mos Def hosted “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” on HBO. Out of all television programs I have seen, Def Poetry Jam is in my top 10 favorite shows of all time. Def Poetry boasts guest performances from Shihan, Cedric the Entertainer, KanYe West, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, and Common to name a few. Two years after the end of Def Poetry Jam, Mos Def released his fourth and latest album “The Ecstatic.” This album won back the ears of his fans after his poor effort on True Magic. The Ecstatic was nominated at the 2010 Grammys for Best Rap Album, losing to Eminem’s Relapse. Although Mos Def has never been successful at the Grammys, he has been awarded for his roles in various films. Throughout his career he has been nominated for 6 Grammys, 3 NAACP Image Awards, 1 Golden Globe, and 1 Emmy Award. He won Best Actor for “The Woodsman” from Black Reel Awards in 2005.
Most Def has supported the following charities listed on this site: 4REAL Foundation, Be the Change, Common Ground Foundation, ENOUGH Project, Not On Our Watch, Reprieve. There was a video made of him experiencing Guantanamo Bay torture to bring light to human rights, under the Reprieve organization. He volunteered to be used as an example of how the inmates were force fed during their hunger strikes. The video is quite disturbing, Mos Def had a tube inserted through his nose while being restricted and restrained. The team finished with one nostril then proceeded to insert the other one before Mos Def decided enough was enough. He describes the pain and helplessness he experienced, while breaking down in tears. In 2007 Mos Def brought social attention to the case of Jose Padilla. He believed Jose wasn't given a proper trial and that his rights as a human and citizen were being infringed. He preformed as the headliner for “Black August” in New York City. Many socially minded artists such as Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, and Saigon performed, and the event was dubbed with the nickname “Concert for Justice.” Mos Def has always been about giving as much back to the community as he can. He said from a young age that he only wants to help people with his art, although sometimes it may come across moody or sad he just wants to keep it real. Making music and acting is his way of connecting with people, his goal is to share his experiences with others who may be experiencing the same circumstances.
Mos Def is now forty-one years old, and while his best days in the entertainment business are behind him, he is still trying to make a difference.

On the 14th of November this year, he released a song named “NO Colonial Fiction”, the new single off his upcoming mixtape. In this song he talks about Tamir Rice, the young man who died from the hands of the Cleveland Police Department. Mos Def also recently did an interview with Ferrari Sheppard, highlighting issues that need to be address such as ISIS attacks on Paris, and police brutality against blacks. Mos Def came from the most humble beginnings you can think of, and he made his mark in hip hop by always remaining true to the genre. He uses Hip Hop to encourage, motivate, educate, and enlighten anyone who will listen. I respect Mos Def, and chose to report on him because he has never compromised his lyrics for listens, or his image for

popularity.
Hip Hop gets a bad name due to the lack of purist within the genre. The hip hop game, as of late, has been so polluted with negative messages accompanied by artists that are so far out it’s hard to consider them an artists. Hip hop is about more than a females body, getting all the money you can, and doing drugs all day. To me, true hip hop is hope. It allows our community to express our feelings, or tell a story with a message in hopes that someone hears it and listens. That is what hip hop is all about, so I see no reason why it should remain prohibited from the church. Within the church, there may be someone whose special talent is write rhymes and perform them. If God has chosen you and is leading you, no matter what the act is His name will be glorified through it. Christian hip hop is feared by so many people, and the way the hip hop culture is generally presented, that fear is understandable. When deciding whether or not to support hip hop expanding to the church, it is important to understand the genre. Hip hop gives advice, hope, and guidance through life. I believe in hip hop being used in the church, you never know who it may lead to Christ.