Mos Def — gorillaz

Yasiin Bey (born Dante Terrell Smith), formerly known as Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer and actor.

Role in Gorillaz

In 2009, Bey (then known as Mos Def) provided the vocals for three tracks on Gorillaz' third studio album, Plastic Beach: Stylo, Sweepstakes and Fresh Arrivals.^[1] Although the latter song was not included on the final album, it was reworked and released as the single Damascus from their ninth studio album, The Mountain.

Bey also appeared on every single one of their tours, starting from the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. For each performance of Sweepstakes, he delivers a special spoken-word introduction in which he plays the role of a tallyman recording bids for a sweepstake on Plastic Beach.

Musical career

Bey began his career in 1994 by forming the group UTD (Urban Thermo Dynamics) with his younger brother, DCQ, and high school friend, Ces, before featuring on albums by De La Soul and Da Bush Babees^W in 1996. He signed with Rawkus Records^W that same year and formed the group Black Star^W with Talib Kweli^W, releasing their debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star^W in 1998. Produced by Hi-Tek^W, the album spawned the singles Definition^W and Respiration^W, both of which appeared on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs^W chart.

In 1999, Bey released his debut solo album, Black on Both Sides^W, which was met with critical acclaim. The follow-up album, The New Danger^W, was released in 2004 and became his most successful to date. It earned the No. 5 spot on the Billboard 200^W and received a Grammy^W nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance^W for the songs Ghetto Rock and Sex, Love & Money^W. His third album, True Magic^W, was haphazardly released in 2006 to fulfil a contractual obligation with Geffen Records^W, after it absorbed Bey's former label, Rawkus, in early 2002. Around that time, Bey became more and more wary of the music industry and started to focus more on his acting career.

In 2009, he released his fourth album, The Ecstatic^W, via the independent label Downtown Records^W. For this album, he collaborated with various artists from the Stones Throw^W label, including Oh No^W, Madlib^W and Georgia Anne Muldrow^W. The lyricism of the album was notably inspired by the Stones Throw rapper MF DOOM. Viewed as a return to form for Bey, The Ecstatic received nominations for Best Rap Album^W and Best Rap Solo Performance^W for the single Casa Bey at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards^W.

In September 2011, he announced that he had legally changed his name to Yasiin Bey and would henceforth be known by that name, retiring the "Mos Def" moniker. In 2016, he released the collaborative album December 99th with Ferrari Sheppard^W, as part of the eponymous hip-hop duo^W, to a generally negative reception. His fifth album ንጉሥ (pronounced Negus) was premiered exclusively during the Art Basel^W fair in Hong Kong in March 2019. Entirely produced by Lord Tusk, Steven Julien and ACyde, it was recorded in London in 2015. According to a press release, the album will never be released in physical or digital form, but will instead be showcased in sound installations around the world. In 2022, Black Star released their first full-length album in 24 years, titled No Fear of Time^W and produced entirely by Madlib.

Gallery

References

↑ DJ Semtex^W (interviewer); Bey, Yasiin (interviewee) (11 December 2009). "50 Cent & Mos Def Drop In On Semtex". Hip Hop With Semtex. BBC Radio 1Xtra. URL status: dead. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010.

Navigation

[1] DJ Semtex^W (interviewer); Bey, Yasiin (interviewee) (11 December 2009). "50 Cent & Mos Def Drop In On Semtex". Hip Hop With Semtex. BBC Radio 1Xtra. URL status: dead. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010.

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