Def, Mos (1973– )

US hip-hop artist and actor. After the success of his hit single ‘Universal Magnetic’ (1997), he released his debut solo album Black on Both Sides (1999), which was followed by The New Danger (2005), featuring the single ‘Sex, Love and Money’. After appearing in several supporting film roles, he starred in the science-fiction adventure adaptation The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).

He is also part of the duo Black Star with Talib Kweli (1975– ). Their debut album in 1998 went on to become both a critical and commercial success. After appearing in several films, including Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2000), the Academy Award-winning drama Monster's Ball (2001), the romantic comedy Brown Sugar (2002), the heist movie The Italian Job (2003), and the drama The Woodsman, he made his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog (2002). He has also hosted and produced programmes for television cable stations such as HBO and MTV and was nominated for several awards for his role in the HBO film Something the Lord Made (2004).

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mos Def began acting as a child and appeared on television after graduating from high school. His collaboration with popular hip-hop groups such as De La Soul helped launch his career. ‘Mos Def’ is slang for ‘most definitely’.