According to Variety, the outspoken “rapter” will star as the younger version of Ordell Robbie, originally played by Samuel L. Jackson.  Set 15 years before the events in “Jackie Brown,” the story follows career criminals Ordell and Louis as they team up to kidnap Mickey Dawson, the wife of a corrupt Detroit real estate developer.

Mos has proven to be one of hip-hops better actors, this season appearing on the series “Dexter” and having roles in The Italian Job, 16 Blocks and more under his belt.

[SOURCE]

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Back in 2004 he remade Jay-Z’s “The Takeover” as a protest song against the recording industry, “The Rape Over.” But it was removed from copies of The New Danger.

“N*ggas In Poorest” finds Bey in similar form, twisting the anthem of excess into a cold dose of reality. (props HighSnobiety)

“These young bloods is lookin scary at the maaaaall/they wearin pants you can still see they draaaaws/robbed a n*gga in the bathroom staaaallll/ took his life because he ain’t wanna take it ooofff...”

Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) – “Niggas In Poorest” (Niggas In Paris freestyle) by SoulCulture

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Peep the exclusive video below of his rehearsal of the song “Revelations,” arranged for the orchestra by award-winning composer Derek Bermel, and performed under the direction of Alan Pierson. (The drummer, Nate Smith, is sick!)

Mos Def and the Brooklyn Philharmonic will be performing together twice, on Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 p.m. at the Restoration Rocks Festival in Brooklyn, NY; and on Wednesday, October 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the World Financial Center in New York City. Click here for details and here to purchase tickets.

At this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival poet, professor and co-founder of the Black Arts Movement Sonia Sanchez screened her documentary Shaking Loose Memories . The film is directed by Jamal Joseph and combines interviews with Sanchez and performances of her poems by Amiri Baraka, T.C Carson and others.

TheUrbandaily was given a few minutes with this living legend on the red carpet and she had words of encouragement for today’s poets and MCs.

“I am completely always in love with Rakim, Talib, Mos Def and Ursula Rucker and a whole generation that have continued what we were about because they do things in a positive fashion.”

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“Dexter” and its actors are regularly nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and we hope this role brings Mos Def, a.k.a. Mos, a.k.a. Yasin some accolades!

Find out more about season 6 of “Dexter” and Mos Def’s character right here.

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After himself, Biggie, Jay-Z and Mos Def, he paused and sarcastically asked “Wow, does it have to be five?”

Big Daddy Kane finally named Whodini as fifth in his starting lineup. (SMH) Fabolous, Joel Ortiz, Memphis Bleek and Talib Kweli don’t stand a chance.

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Rap impressario Mos Def will take to the stage at the Fort Greene Festival in Brooklyn, Saturday, June 25th.  Actress and fellow Brooklynite Rosie Perez will host the event.  Included in the musical line up are rock-n-soul singer Res, Afro-Punk band Game Rebellion, and the violin playing hip-hop duo Nuttin But Stringz.  The Fort Greene Festival is a two day music, film and cultural festival attended by over 10,000 people to celebrate Brooklyn’s diverse community.

For more information click HERE

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The all-star crew ran through hit after hit throughout the performance, which was sponsored by VEVO.

Kanye West & Pusha-T “Runaway”

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Kanye West & Kid Cudi “Gorgeous”

Spotted @ ThisIs50.com & Vibe.com

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That’s a lot of rumors, right?

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Spotted @ Fuel.TV

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Mr. West took a few moments to vent on everything from Illuminati rumors to a perceived Grammy snub for Dark Twisted Fantasy. However, it should be noted that he released that album after the cut-off for the 2011 Grammy Awards.

Props to Nahright for the lyrical transcription:

Kanye and Mos Def at The Blue Note Ft. Robert Glasper Experiment by cisconyc

Shout out to Steve Stoute… you know what this shit ’bout
My whole family… now I’m scared of the Grammys
Cause everybody know that Dark Fantasy,
was the highest rated album in history, get me?
So I just avoid it, not to be exploited, not be recorded
Cause I cannot afford it, I cannot afford more shit and be in more debt

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According to Step Brothers director, Adam McKay, Ferrell & Reilley are going into the studio to record an album as the rapping step brothers, Huff & Doback. McKay posted the news on Twitter, and claims that a big name producer is attached to the project.  They also have put out an invite to Mos Def, who appeared in McKay’s film Talladega Nights with Reilley & Ferrell, to appear on the album.

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“Don’t Look Down” features Kanye rapping alongside Lupe Fiasco and Big Sean with Mos Def on the hook.

It’s a fairly unremarkable track, one of the more forgettable “Good Friday” releases to date.

Download “Don’t Look Down” for free at www.kanyewest.com!

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Gregory Isaacs, “Night Nurse”

Isaacs was nicknamed the “Cool Ruler” and is survived by his wife Linda and their children. He recorded over 50 albums in four decades, including his latest ‘Brand New Me’ in 2008.

Some rap fans may remember that Mos Def’s love interest in “Ms Fat Booty” serenades him with a Gregory Isaacs tune:

“She touched on my eyelids, the room fell silent/She walked away smilin singing Gregory Isaacs “Like ‘if I don’t, if I don’t, if I don’t’..”

Take a listen to that song, “If I Don’t Have You” below.

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I’ve always wondered why Kanye never officially teamed up with his Blackstar homies Mos Def and Talib Kweli. They’ve always seemed like a natural fit for each other after seeing how Kweli opened the door for one of the most successful acts in rap today by letting Kanye open up for him on his promotional tour before anybody had any kind of faith in Ye’ the rapper, most only knew him as a uber-talented producer. The artists would make frequent appearances on each other’s album and performances but nothing was ever official.

Talib Kweli has been pretty good at holding it down on his own as an artist and co-owner of his Blacksmith music label while Mos almost abandoned music altogether to become a very credible actor.

All the while, Mos Def the musician, while putting out decent music, was flailing like a man overboard without a life jacket to get his label’s attention Kanye’s G.O.O.D. music artists like Common and John Legend has earned an esteemed place in the music landscape.

Joining the aforementioned, as well as Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Consequence, GLC, Mr Hudson, and the recently added Pusha T of Clipse, Mos Def finally gets to be in the music family that he needs to be in.

According to a new XXL interview with Kanye West:

“Just as Kanye returned to his roots to scoop up Common, he recently recruited his buddy Brooklyn rapper/singer/actor Mos Def into the GOOD Music fold. Long regarded as a formidable talent by underground devotees and mainstream fans alike, Mos appeared on “Two Words” (from Kanye’s 2005 The College Dropout) and “Drunk and Hot Girls” (from KW’s 2007 Graduation). Since his 1999 solo debut, Black on Both Sides, Mos has increasingly been pushed — whether by generational choices or self-exile — to the fringes of indie, alternative hip hop. Maybe it will take Kanye to reign him in.”

Follow me at Twitter.com/Youngpharoh

This latest freebie from Kanye West may be the best one yet. For his latest “G.O.O.D Friday” leak, “Lord, Lord, Lord” Yeezy recruits Mos Def, Raekwon, Swizz Beatz and Charlie Wilson.

Download a copy HERE. (props to 2dopeboyz.com)

Check out Kanye’s previous “Good Friday” freebies below:

Kanye West & Pusha T “Runaway” [AUDIO]

Kanye West, Common, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Charlie Wilson & Big Sean “Good Friday” [AUDIO]

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Mos Def will team with NASA to encourage students to pursue higher education using science and technology this Sunday (September 5th) in Oakland, California.
The rapper will team with famed African-American NASA astronaut Leland Melvin to debut a special holographic presentation at the Chabot Space & Science Center.

“Leland Melvin and myself are working with the Instituting Science in Schools Program, sponsored by NASA and I’m just here to give the young people some inspiration, some positive encouragement and some good information about science, technology, creativity and discovery and how to use math, science and information to make a positive impact and changes on the world around us,” Mos Def told AllHipHop.com.

Read the whole article on AllHipHop.com

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Ski Beatz’ upcoming release 24 Hr. Karate School has been seen many release dates come and go.

Originally it was going to be a free mixtape, but it’s believed that the producer’s album will be released on the newly relaunched Roc-A-Fella records in September.

Check out the video for the song “Cream Of The Planet” featuring the mighty Mos Def!

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Mos Def’s just added another entry to his acting resumé by joining the cast of the forthcoming HBO comedy series “Enlightened.”

The Emmy nominated actor/rapper will play the boss of the character portrayed by Laura Dern, who writes the show along with Mike White.

The show will be Mos’ first full-time television acting role, having previously made appearances on “The Cosby Mysteries,” “House,” “Chappelle’s Show,” “Yo Gabba Gabba,” and “The Boondocks.”

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Here are some songs you might know that have sampled Afrobeat records!

Missy Elliott “Whatcha Gon’ Do”

Taken from Missy’s 2001 album, Miss E… So Addictive, “Whatcha Gon’ Do” finds Missy flowing over a loop from Fela Kuti’s “Colonial Mentality.” This Timbaland produced track was also included at the end of the video for Missy’s “4 My People” video.

Fela Kuti “Colonial Mentality”

Mos Def “Fear Not Of Man”

Produced by Mos himself, “Fear Not Of Man” opens his classic debut solo album, 1999′s Black On Both Sides.  The song features a replayed sample of Fela Kuti’s similarly titled “Fear Not For Man.”

Fela Kuti “Fear Not For Man”

Common “Heat”

Produced by the late J Dilla, Common’s “Heat” was featured on his 2000 album, Like Water For Chocolate and features a sample from Tony Allen’s “Asiko.”

Tony Allen “Asiko”

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If you find yourself taking a break from today’s summertime activities (or recovering from the weekend) take a moment to reflect on Memorial Day with some help from some of hip-hop’s finest.

Rhymefest Ft. Citizen Cope, “Bullet & A Target”

“He turned around and got a face full of hollow tips/but don’t be mad he died for the flag..”

Pharoahe Monch, “Agent Orange”

“What’s your identity today?/You on some John F. Kennedy or Timothy McVeigh?”

Q-Tip “We Fight We Love”
” You get to travel the world/ It’s better than college/ You get guns and you get knowledge”

Eric B & Rakim, “Casualties of War”

“I got a family that waits for my return/To get back home is my main concern/I’ma get back to New York in one piece/but I’m bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets”-R

Mos Def “War”

“You hotdamn right this war’s gone too far/ soldiers mistake the gun burst for the stars…”

J-Live, “Satisfied”

“It ain’t right that those cops and firemen died/shit is real tragic, but it damn sure ain’t magic/it won’t make the brutality disappear, it won’t pull equality from behind your ear/”

Mos Def F/ Slick Rick “Audiorium”
“Sit and come relax riddle off the mac, its the patch
Imma soldier in the middle of Iraq
Well say about noonish commin out the whip
And lookin at me curious, a young Iraqi kid (awww)
Carrying laundry, whats wrong G? hungry?
No, gimme oil or get f*ck out my country!”

Click here, for pics

Spotted at Mediatakeout.com

VIDEO:Mos Def Performs New Song “It Ain’t My Fault” For Gulf Coast

VIDEO: Mos Def Guests On Yo Gabba Gabba

Mos Def loves taking New Orleans rap songs and making them political. First he did “Katrina Clap,” from “Magnolia Clap’ by Juvenile, now he does “It Ain’t My Fault” which is also the name of a Mystikal song, but is also an old New Orleans standard, which he made into a song dealing with the BP Oil Spill and Katrina.

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Mos Def & Lenny Kravitz Headline Gulf Oil Spill Benefit

VIDEO: Mos Def Guests On “Yo Gabba Gabba”

Artists Mos Def and Lenny Kravitz will perform at an upcoming Gulf Coast oil spill benefit concert in New Orleans on behalf of fishers and wetlands restoration efforts.

As oil spreads around the Gulf of Mexico like a black plague unleashed from BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, it’s become apparent that this will ultimately affect the lives of fish and wildlife, but also the livelihoods of fishers and hunters who worked and lived off of those waters. So concert promoters have wasted no time organizing a benefit concert to raise money for fishers and wetland restoration.

Story continued @ The BVX.com

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I’m kinda jealous of little children. “Sesame Street” was cool, but always had predictable musical guests.

Nowadays, kids have “Yo Gabba Gabba,” a show that always manages to surprise me with who they have on the show.

In addition to acts like Snoop Dogg, The Roots, Fabolous, Mya, and countless others, Mos Def added himself to the list of “Yo Gabba Gabba” guests.

Spotted @ RapRadar.com

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Ski Beatz has been behind the boards of some of your favorite hip-hop records.

Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents” anybody?

Lately, the beatsmith has been hard at work on his forthcoming mixtape, 24 Hour Karate School, which has been delayed almost as much as Detox.

A lot of the buzz surrounding the mixtape has been centered, not on the guest spots from Jim Jones, Curren$y, Jay Electronica, The Cool Kids, Jean Grae, or Whiz Khalifa, but the very last song on the mixtape:  Mos Def’s “Taxi.”

“Taxi” has been floating around in snippet form for a minute now, but the full song is now out.

Shout out to 2DopeBoyz for putting this one out there!

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RBG affiliates The A-Alikes return with more wrath joined by The Mighty Mos Def on this banger. What do you think?

For more info on the A-Alikes go to: http://www.aalikes.net

Savior from guerilla nation on Vimeo.