Biography
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 Sta...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Gorillaz | MTV World Stage
2023
as Mos Def
Performing live from the Tonhalle, Dusseldorf, Germany. Gorillaz played live in this unique classical venue to an intimate audience.

Part of Me
2023
as Himself
This is the story of the appreciation, respect and fondness of musician, actor and activist Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) for Spanish-Moroccan painter Anua...

Hargrove
2022
as Self
Jazz trumpet legend Roy Hargrove, deemed by his peers as a musical prophet, up close and personal like you have never seen him before. The film follow...

You're Watching Video Music Box
2021
as Self (archive footage)
The untold story of the world’s longest running video show, Video Music Box. A hip hop mainstay since 1983, VMB gave a platform to artists like Jay-Z,...

Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light
2021
My Blackest self, whose whitest death, is luxury. I am no stranger anymore. The world is love to me.

Gorillaz: Reject False Icons
2019
as Mos Def
Focused on the life of the band and their collaborators over the 3 vital years in which they developed critically acclaimed albums, 'Humanz' and 'The ...

French Tour
2016
as Focé
Far’Hook is a 20-year-old rapper. Following a violent dispute with a rival, he’s forced to leave Paris for a while. His producer, Bilal, suggests that...

Amy
2015
as Self
A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her...

Begin Again
2014
as Saul
Gretta, a budding songwriter, finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave ditches her. Her life gains purpose when Dan, a record label executive, not...

Life of Crime
2013
as Ordell Robbie
Two common criminals get more than they bargained for after kidnapping the wife of a corrupt real-estate developer who shows no interest in paying the...
Standard Operating Procedure
2013
Yasiin Bey appears in a video demonstrating the Standard Operating Procedure for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay.

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012
as Self
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of thi...

A Man's Story
2011
as Self
Documentary about British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng.

Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
2011
as Self
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called...

I'm Still Here
2010
as Mos Def
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as...
Bouncing Cats
2010
This documentary follows the efforts of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya and Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to use dance to empower youth in war-torn Uganda. T...

The Making of Plastic Beach
2010
as Mos Def
A documentary about the production, recording and development of Gorillaz' third studio album, Plastic Beach.

Next Day Air
2009
as Eric
Two inept criminals are mistakenly delivered a package of cocaine and think they've hit the jackpot, triggering a series of events that changes ten pe...

Cadillac Records
2008
as Chuck Berry
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, includ...
Passaic Mosaic
2008
Thanks
A short documentary, looking at life in Passaic, New Jersey, whilst the film Be Kind Rewind (2008) is being shot there.

Prince Among Slaves
2008
as Narrator
Abdul Rahman, an African prince who was sold into slavery, spent four decades in servitude before an amazing coincidence took him to the White House t...

Be Kind Rewind
2008
as Mike
A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal rente...

In Prison My Whole Life
2008
as Self
William Francome is a fairly typical, white middle-class guy. Typical except for the fact that he is about to embark on a journey into the dark heart ...

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2006
as Mos Def
The fastest man on four wheels, Ricky Bobby is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. A big, hairy American winning machine, Ricky has everyth...

September in Brooklyn: The Making of Block Party
2006
as Self
Behind the scenes look at Dave Chappelle's Block Party.

Coachella
2006
as Self (Interviewee)
Filmmaker Drew Thomas brings California's popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to the screen with a different kind of musical documentary ...

Journey to the End of the Night
2006
as Wemba
In a dark and decadent area of São Paulo, the exiled Americans Rosso and his son Paul own a brothel. Paul is a compulsive gambler addicted in cocaine ...

16 Blocks
2006
as Eddie Bunker
An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, but they find themselves running t...

Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
2006
A documentary on the secret dossiers that police, FBI, and task agencies have compiled on hip-hop performers and industry executives.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party
2005
as Self - (as Mos Def)
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unpr...

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'
2005
as Self
An in-depth examination of the complete production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005
as Ford Prefect
Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a res...

Lackawanna Blues
2005
as The Bandleader
In a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he liv...

The Woodsman
2004
as Sgt. Lucas
After twelve years in prison, Walter returns home. His family has abandoned him, save for his brother-in-law. Few know he's a sex offender and pedophi...

Something the Lord Made
2004
as Vivien Thomas
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

Civil Brand
2003
as Michael Meadows
Forced to work under slave-like conditions in a "prison for profit" program, the inmates of a mostly-African-American female prison, Whitehead Correct...

The Italian Job
2003
as Left Ear
Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn't plan on was being double-crossed. Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safe...

Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
2003
as Himself
Gil Scott-Heron was one of the most influential musicians and poets of the last 50 years. In Don Letts's documentary, Gil tells his own story for the ...

Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
2003
as Self
This documentary praises comedian Richard Pryor by showing fragments of various shows Pryor made and having famous comedians talk about the importance...

Brown Sugar
2002
as Chris Anton 'Cav' Vichon
Sidney and Dre can attribute their lifelong friendship and the launch of their careers to one single childhood instant... witnessing the birth of hip-...

Showtime
2002
as Lazy Boy
A spoof of buddy cop movies where two very different cops are forced to team up on a new reality based T.V. cop show.

Monster's Ball
2001
as Ryrus Cooper
A prison guard begins a tentative romance with the unsuspecting widow of a man whose execution he presided over.

Carmen: A Hip Hopera
2001
as Lt. Miller
An engaged Philadelphia policeman falls in love with a beautiful woman while dealing with a corrupt superior.

Bamboozled
2000
as Mau Mau: Big Blak Afrika
Frustrated when network brass reject his sitcom idea, producer Pierre Delacroix pitches the worst idea he can think of in an attempt to get fired: a 2...

Island of the Dead
2000
as Robbie J
Stranded on a deserted island, a group of people struggle to survive against a swarm of supernatural flies.

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
2000
as Himself
From neighborhood ciphers to the most notorious MC battles, "Freestyle: the Art of Rhyme" captures the electrifying energy of improvisational hip-hop-...

Where's Marlowe?
1998
as Wilt Crawley
After making a disastrous 3-hour documentary on New York City's water supply, two young filmmakers focus on the goings-on of life in the LA offices of...

Ghosts
1997
as Dante
In the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the...

Split Images
1992
as Curtis Roy
A journalist knows more about a grizzly murder than is good for her. All her evidence points toward a mysterious millionaire but no one will believe h...

The Hard Way
1991
as Dead Romeos
Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang works a deal with New Yo...

God Bless the Child
1988
as Richard Watkins
Single mother, Theresa Johnson, becomes homeless, loses her job and tries to survive with her young daughter, Hillary, through charities and public sh...