Yasiin Bey
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːn ˈbeɪ/; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def, is an American retired rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor. 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" (1996), he became an underground favorite in the hip-hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. He followed 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 was a former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, and continued acting as an adult after launching his rap career. He appeared in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. He hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007. He completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize-winning, Topdog/Underdog. He then re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play Fucking A, for which he earned an Obie Award. In 2003, he starred in The Italian Job alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. In 2004, he starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. He was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role. He continued his music career by releasing his highly anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (2004). The first single, "Sex, Love and Money" earned him a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance, and the album has been certified gold by the RIAA. The following year, he appeared alongside Bruce Willis in the crime thriller 16 Blocks (2006), in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, and had a cameo appearance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Also in 2006, he released his third solo album, True Magic. The next year, he appeared in the 2007 PBS historical documentary, Prince Among Slaves, and in 2008 he played the role of Chuck Berry in Cadillac Records. In 2009, he released the album The Ecstatic, which proved to be his second highest-charting album to date. He then appeared in the urban comedy Next Day Air, and (as himself) in the 2010 mockumentary film I’m Still Here, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Mos Def announced in September of 2011 that he changed his name to Yasiin Bey, and would go by it henceforth. In the first month of 2016, Bey declared his retirement from both the film and music industries. In 2014, About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".
Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is...
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Amy
as SelfA documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see...
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Something the Lord Made
as Vivien ThomasA dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
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Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn't plan on was...
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Begin Again
as SaulGretta, a budding songwriter, finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave ditches her. Her life...
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Life of Crime
as Ordell RobbieTwo common criminals get more than they bargained for after kidnapping the wife of a corrupt...
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The fastest man on four wheels, Ricky Bobby is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. A...
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Monster's Ball
as Ryrus CooperA prison guard begins a tentative romance with the unsuspecting widow of a man whose execution...
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16 Blocks
as Eddie Bunker (as Mos Def)An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police...
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Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show,...
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Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
as SelfAn in-depth examination of the complete production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).
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I'm Still Here
as Mos DefI'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With...
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Cadillac Records
as Chuck BerryThe story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but...
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Bamboozled
as Mau Mau: Big Blak AfrikaFrustrated when network brass reject his sitcom idea, producer Pierre Delacroix pitches the...
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Dave Chappelle's Block Party
as Self - (as Mos Def)The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town...
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Brown Sugar
as Chris Anton 'Cav' VichonSidney and Dre can attribute their lifelong friendship and the launch of their careers to one...
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Next Day Air
as EricTwo inept criminals are mistakenly delivered a package of cocaine and think they've hit the...
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A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video...
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The Woodsman
as Sgt. LucasAfter twelve years in prison, Walter returns home. His family has abandoned him, save for his...
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Showtime
as Lazy BoyA spoof of buddy cop movies where two very different cops are forced to team up on a new reality...
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Journey to the End of the Night
as WembaIn a dark and decadent area of São Paulo, the exiled Americans Rosso and his son Paul own a...
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Island of the Dead
as Robbie JStranded on a deserted island, a group of people struggle to survive against a swarm of...
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Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
as uncreditedA documentary on the secret dossiers that police, FBI, and task agencies have compiled on...
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Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
as SelfSOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the...
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Ghosts
as DanteIn the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children...
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French Tour
as FocéFar’Hook is a 20-year-old rapper. Following a violent dispute with a rival, he’s forced to leave...
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Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
as SelfHaving forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all...
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Gorillaz: Reject False Icons
as Mos DefFocused on the life of the band and their collaborators over the 3 vital years in which they...
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Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize
as SelfAn outstanding lineup of entertainers gathers in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to salute Dave...
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In Prison My Whole Life
as SelfWilliam Francome is a fairly typical, white middle-class guy. Typical except for the fact that...
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Split Images
as Curtis RoyA journalist knows more about a grizzly murder than is good for her. All her evidence points...
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Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
as SelfThis documentary praises comedian Richard Pryor by showing fragments of various shows Pryor made...
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Carmen: A Hip Hopera
as Lt. MillerAn engaged Philadelphia policeman falls in love with a beautiful woman while dealing with a...
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Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
as HimselfGil Scott-Heron was one of the most influential musicians and poets of the last 50 years. In Don...
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Lackawanna Blues
as The BandleaderIn a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a...
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Civil Brand
as Michael MeadowsForced to work under slave-like conditions in a "prison for profit" program, the inmates of a...
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Where's Marlowe?
as Wilt CrawleyAfter making a disastrous 3-hour documentary on New York City's water supply, two young...
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You're Watching Video Music Box
as Self (archive footage)The untold story of the world’s longest running video show, Video Music Box. A hip hop mainstay...
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Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
as HimselfFrom neighborhood ciphers to the most notorious MC battles, "Freestyle: the Art of Rhyme"...
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God Bless the Child
as Richard WatkinsSingle mother, Theresa Johnson, becomes homeless, loses her job and tries to survive with her...
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The Boondocks
as GangstaliciousTwo young brothers (Huey and Riley) move away from their birth city to live with their irascible...
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Prince Among Slaves
as NarratorAbdul Rahman, an African prince who was sold into slavery, spent four decades in servitude...
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Part of Me
as HimselfThis is the story of the appreciation, respect and fondness of musician, actor and activist...
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Hargrove
as SelfJazz trumpet legend Roy Hargrove, deemed by his peers as a musical prophet, up close and...
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Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light
as uncreditedMy Blackest self, whose whitest death, is luxury. I am no stranger anymore. The world is love to me.
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The Making of Plastic Beach
as Mos DefA documentary about the production, recording and development of Gorillaz' third studio album,...
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House
as LeeDr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of...
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Dexter
as Brother SamDexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret...
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The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
as SelfThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish...
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Saturday Night Live
as Self - Musical GuestA late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The...
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Real Time with Bill Maher
as SelfEach week Bill Maher surrounds himself with a panel of guests which include politicians, actors,...
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The View
as SelfABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin,...
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Spin City
as MontyWorkaholic Mike Flaherty is the Deputy Mayor of New York City, serving as Mayor Randall...
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The Boondocks
as uncreditedWhen Robert “Granddad” Freeman becomes legal guardian to his two grandsons, he moves from the...
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My Wife and Kids
as uncreditedMichael Kyle is a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules his household with a unique...
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Tony Awards
as Self - PerformerThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award,...
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Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as uncreditedJimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and...
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The Proud Family
as Mos Def (voice)Follow the adventures and misadventures of Penny, a 14-year-old African American girl who's...
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Chappelle's Show
as Self - Black StarDave Chappelle's singular point of view is unleashed through a combination of laidback stand-up...
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HBO First Look
as SelfHBO First Look is an American television show on HBO that chronicles up and coming movies. It...
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jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
as Self (archive footage)The lives of an emerging superstar and a filmmaker intertwine in this intense, intimate...
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The Cosby Mysteries
as uncreditedThe Cosby Mysteries was an American television mystery series that starred Bill Cosby. It is the...
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Here and Now
as AlonzoHere and Now is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1992 to...
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You Take the Kids
as Raymond KirklandYou Take the Kids is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from December 1990 to January 1991....
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