On this date in 1999, Brooklyn lyricist, actor, and social activist Yasiin Bey—who the Hip Hop world first knew as Mos Def—released his debut solo album Black On Both Sides on the Rawkus/Columbia ...

Get full access to The Daily Beast for $1 The artist formerly known as Mos Def announced his retirement amid bitter legal woes in South Africa. We should be saddened: Black culture is better when Mos ...

MOS DEF CAN BE so laid-back that he seems almost comatose. He speaks quietly, with a garbled Brooklyn accent that sounds as if he's halfway through a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. But don't be ...

Mos Def has announced that he will be dropping the name "Mos Def" by the end of this year, and will henceforth be known on record as Yasiin. "I’m retiring the Mos Def name after 2011. I’m actually ...

In 2000, for The FADER's 3rd issue, we hung out with Mos Def—now known as Yasiin Bey—at New York's Empire Diner for his very first cover story. Mos Def is missing the Grammys. Holed up for the past ...

Mos Def is to retire his long-time performing alias at the end of this year. "It's time to expand and move on," the rapper said, explaining that he will start calling himself Yasiin. "I'm actually ...

Mos Def had the Hip-Hop world talking in recent days. His take on Drake’s music became a trending topic on social media. Drizzy has now responded to the MC also known as Yasiin Bey. “Drake is pop to ...

Mos Def’s Brooklyn rap style has been acknowledged by many in hip hop, ranging from Drake to Joey Bada$$ to Jay-Z. During a casual sunglasses try-on, Mos Def, also known as Yasiin Bey, issued a bold ...

Mos Def is hard at work on his LP, "The Estatic," but not with Kanye West as previously reported. By Hillary Crosley Mos Def is hard at work on his upcoming album “The Estatic,” but not with Kanye ...