Mos Def began his performing career on the television show ''The Cosby Mysteries'' in 1994. In 1994, Mos also began his music career, forming the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics with his younger brother DCQ and his younger sister Ces. Despite being signed to Payday Records, the group only released two singles and the group's debut album, ''Manifest Destiny'', did not see the light of day until 2004 when released through Illson Media. In 1996 he emerged as a solo artist, working with De La Soul and da Bush Babees before releasing his own first single, "Universal Magnetic" which was a huge underground hit. After signing with Rawkus Records, he and Talib Kweli released a a full length album under the band name Black Star, entitled ''Black Star''. It was released in 1998, with Hi-Tek producing most of the tracks. Mos Def released his solo debut, ''Black on Both Sides'', in 1999. After the collapse of Rawkus, Def along with Kweli signed on to Interscope/Geffen Records, who released his second album ''The New Danger'' in 2004. In early 2005 Mos Def was rumored to join Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella record label, but this was later denied by the artist himself claiming "Jay-Z & Roc-A-Fella would never allow me to release songs I plan on putting out there. I ain't down with that commercial non-sense. I'm about to deal with the fake with my next album, from George Bush to 50 Cent." Mos Def is projected to release his last album on Geffen Records, ''The Undeniable Free Flaco'' in late 2005 or early 2006.
Impact on hip-hop
The artistic boundaries of hip-hop and rap music had been redefined by artists such as Brand Nubian, De La Soul, and Public Enemy, whose music was more thematically sophisticated and socially conscious than that of their predecessors. By the early 1990s however, this brand of rap had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Socially aware rap music (alternative hip hop) has experienced something of a renaissance in the late 1990s and now the 2000s, in part due to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dev Smith, The Roots and others. "Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are... Blackstar" Mos Def's collaboration with Talib Kweli was released during the aftermath of the deaths of 2pac and The Notorious B.I.G. sparking a rebirth of "aware" and "intelligent" hip-hop. Def's music often references his Islamic faith and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll music.On Mos Def's 2004 album "The New Danger," the rapper claims to own the recipe to the world's best-tasting chili a comment that has drawn the ire of companies such as ConAgra Foods, Inc.. and Wolf Brand Chili.In September 2005, Mos Def released the single "Katrina Clap", a critical reaction to the perceived lack of response by the Bush administration to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Acting career
Mos Def de:Mos Def