Why Did Mos Def Change His Name?
Dante Terrell Smith, commonly known as Yasiin Bey, was born on December 11, 1973. His earlier and more well-known stage moniker was Mos Def. He is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor from the United States. Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith were the parents of Yasiin Bey when he was born Dante Terrell Smith in…
Dante Terrell Smith, commonly known as Yasiin Bey, was born on December 11, 1973. His earlier and more well-known stage moniker was Mos Def. He is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor from the United States. Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith were the parents of Yasiin Bey when he was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York City. He was the oldest of his parents’ 12 biological and adopted children. While his father lived in New Jersey, his mother reared him in Brooklyn.
Bey discovered his passion for acting while he was a student at Bushwick, Brooklyn’s Philippa Schuyler Middle School. With his younger brother DCQ and high school classmate Ces, Bey created the band Urban Thermo Dynamics in 1994, which marked the beginning of his musical career.
Manifest Destiny, their sole album to date, was released in 2004. Bey collaborated with Da Bush Babees and De La Soul before going solo in 1996. Later, in 1997, he released “Universal Magnetic,” his debut song.
Bey first gained notoriety as a young actor who went by the name Dante Beze and appeared in a number of plays, sitcoms, and television movies. He made his acting debut at the age of 14 in Mare Winningham’s ABC television movie God Bless the Child.
Why Did Mos Def Change His Name?
He began to worry that Mos Def was being treated more like a product than a person, so he began going by Yasiin in 1999.
