Rap career:
Mos Def began his performing career on the television show The Cosby Mysteries in 1994. In 1994, Mos also began his music career, forming the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) with his younger brother DCQ and his younger sister Ces. Despite being signed to Payday Records, the group only released two singles and the group's debut album, Manifest Destiny, did not see the light of day until 2004 when released through Illson Media. In 1996 he emerged as a solo artist, working with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees before releasing his own first single, "Universal Magnetic" which was a huge underground hit. After signing with Rawkus Records, he and Talib Kweli released a full length album under the band name Black Star, entitled Black Star. It was released in 1998, with Hi-Tek producing most of the tracks. Mos Def released his solo debut, Black on Both Sides, in 1999. Filled with tracks raving about his hometown, Brooklyn and his love for Hip-Hop, Black on Both Sides also deals with racial profiling of Black men in America, with the track Mr Nigga. Mos Def was also featured on Rawkus' influential The Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing series compilations. After the collapse of Rawkus, Def along with Kweli signed on to Interscope/Geffen Records, who released his second album The New Danger in 2004. In early 2005 Mos Def was rumored to join Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella record label, but this was later denied by the artist himself claiming "Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella would never allow me to release songs I plan on putting out there. I ain't down with that commercial non-sense. I'm about to deal with the fake with my next album, from George Bush to 50 Cent." But, after making that comment, Mos Def was featured rapping on a SUV commercial, endorsing the GMC Denali. Mos Def is projected to release his last solo album on Geffen Records, The Undeniable Free Flaco in early 2006. His 4th studio album The Ecstatic was released June 9, 2009 on Downtown Records. It serves as Mos Def's second highest charting album to date. Upon its release, The Ecstatic received general acclaim from most music critics, and it earned Mos Def a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. Rolling Stone magazine named it the seventeenth best album of 2009.
Impact on hip-hop
The artistic boundaries of hip-hop and rap music had been redefined by artists such as Brand Nubian, De La Soul, and Public Enemy, whose music was more thematically sophisticated and socially conscious than that of their predecessors. By the early 1990s however, this brand of rap had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Socially aware rap music (alternative hip hop) has experienced something of a renaissance in the late 1990s and now the 2000s, in part due to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, The Roots and others. "Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are … Blackstar" Mos Def's collaboration with Talib Kweli was released during the aftermath of the deaths of 2pac and The Notorious B.I.G. sparking a rebirth of "aware" and "intelligent" hip-hop. Def's music often references his Islamic faith and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll music.
On Mos Def's 2004 album The New Danger, the rapper took his penchant for experimentation to a new level. Most of the songs were more hip-hop flavored stylings of Blues and Rock, with few actual raps thrown in. This threw off fans who were expecting another full-blown rap album. The New Danger also featured the controversial song "The Rape Over", a parody of Jay-Z's The Blueprint hit "The Takeover":
old white men is runnin this rap shit
corporate forces runnin this rap shit
some tall israeli is runnin this rap shit
we poke out our asses for a chance to cash in
cocaine, is runnin this rap shit
'dro, 'yac and e-pills is runnin this rap shit...
mtv is runnin this rap shit
viacom is runnin this rap shit
aol and time warner runnin this rap shit...
quasi-homosexuals is runnin this rap shit
The lyrics would seem to have chafed with higher-placed executives, who made Mos take the song off of later releases of the album, supposedly for "sample clearance issues".
In September 2005, Mos Def released the single "Katrina Clap" (utilizing the instrumental for Juvenile's "Nolia Clap"), a critical reaction to the lack of response by the Bush administration to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He probably chose the "Nolia Clap" instrumental because the rapper Juvenile hails from New Orleans, and the song was a hit in the New Orleans area before the hurricane.
Mos Def also collaborated with Kanye West on West's track named "two words" and appeared in the music video.
Acting career
The first years of the 2000s have established Mos Def as a notable actor. His performances in Brown Sugar, Monster's Ball, and the HBO made-for-TV film Something The Lord Made have been particularly acclaimed by critics. Having been nominated for several awards, Mos finally broke through, winning Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. He also landed the role of Ford Prefect in the long-awaited 2005 movie adaption of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Notably, in 2002 he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He has also been a musical guest and participated in many skits on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show.
In 2004, he hosted the MOBO awards in London, after the original presenter, Pharrell Williams pulled out at the last minute.
He has been the host of the award-winning spoken word show Def Poetry Jam since its inception. The show's sixth season aired in February 2007.
Discography
* 1998 Black Star (released with Talib Kweli under the name Black Star) Priority Records
* 1999 Black on Both Sides Rawkus Records
* 2004 The New Danger Geffen
o nominated for Best Urban/Alternative
Performance, 47th Annual Grammy Awards
* 2006 True Magic
* 2009 THE Ecstatic Downtown Records
* 2010 Mos Dub
Selected Filmography
* Cadillac Records (2009)
* Be Kind Rewind (2008)
* Talladega Nights (2006) (a quick cameo)
* Dreamgirls (2006)
* Bobby (2006)
* The Brazilian Job (2006) (pre-production)
* 16 Blocks (2006)
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).
* Lackawanna Blues (2005)
* Something the Lord Made (2004)
o nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, 56th Annual Emmy Awards
o nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
* Chapelle Show (? year) - Black Delegation Rep for Racial Draft
* The Woodsman (2004)
* The Italian Job (2003)
* Brown Sugar (2002)
* Civil Brand (2002)
* Showtime (2002)
* Monster's Ball (2001)
* Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001)
* Bamboozled (2000)
* Where's Marlowe? (1998)
In September 2011, Mos Def announced that he planned to use the name Yasiin Bey instead of Mos Def beginning in 2012.
http://www.myspace.com/mosdef
All Praise Due
Mos Def Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna know, I wanna know who you are
MosBrown skin lady, hey hey
TalibYes
MosWhere you goin
TalibThis goes to the brown skin ladies
MosBrown skin lady
MosWhat you doin?
TalibGivin birth to the brown skin ladies first
MosBrown skin lady
TalibFor what it's worth, from me to you
MosHow do you feel?
TalibFrom me to you, watchin you
I like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, yes, I live the way you move
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like the WAY you move
TalibI like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, please, won't you do that dance
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like you baby
And everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing
Everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing, there she is
Fresher than Tony Rebel's vestibules at African street festivals
My incredible women is, plentiful
Over the years I met a few, none of them compare to you
Preparin you to make food bearable, somethin terrible, let's see
You fruitful, beautiful, smart, lovable, huggable
Doable like art, suitable to be part
Of my life, Coppertone, oh you copyright infringement
Pay you bidness ten cents, way back in the day
It's like I'm standin there you know appreciatin God's design
And then you showed up, it's like you read my mind
DAMN SHE'S FINE, I think I add the are-E, in front of that
And see if she D, to get, with a cat like me
TalibI like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, yes, I live the way you move
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like the WAY you move
TalibI like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, please, won't you do that dance
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like you baby
And everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing
Everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing, there she is
Ooooh! Daring me girl, look at you
Comin on the block lookin fresh and brand new
Ooooh! Headwrap cover your hairdo
Pretty feet peekin through open-toed shoe
Ooooh! No limit to what I would do
Make love to you like long interview
Whooh! Is she for real, me like you
Good look champion, win the title
True, many man try invite you
Shot down lyric each time they cyph you
Jewel, what man you get all insides you
Feet they walk way and just that sheik posture
Ooooh! Can't be a next one like you
Famous like tapes made by DJ Clue
I tighten up my game as I approach you
Yo check her she the nectar the bee get close to
I don't get many compliments, but I am confident
Used to have a complex about, gettin too complex
You got me, willin to try, looked me in the eye
My head is still in the sky, since you walked on by
I'm feelin high, got my imagination flickerin like hot flames
It's how it seems, you make me wanna ride the Coltrane to A Love Supreme
My brown lady, creates environments, for
Happy brown babies, I know it sounds crazy
But your skin's the inspiration for cocoa butter
You provoke a brother we should get to know one another
I discover when I bring you through my people say TRUE, all I can say
Is all praise due I thank you God for a beauty like you
MosBrown skin lady
TalibYes
MosWhere you goin
TalibThis goes to the brown skin ladies
MosBrown skin lady
TalibOn the planet Earth today, yes
MosWhat you doin?
MosBrown skin lady
MosHow do you feel?
TalibI like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, yes, I live the way you move
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like the WAY you move
TalibI like the, I like the, I like the, I like the
Way you walk, yes, please do that dance
MosI like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the way you move, I like you baby
And everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing
Everybody on the avenue, I know, when they see us sing, there she is
There she is, she's a brown skinned lady
Such a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady
You know what some people put themselves through
To look just like you?
Dark stocking, high heels, lipstick, alla that
You know what?
Without makeup you're beautiful
Whatcha you need to paint the next face for
We're not dealin with the European standard of beauty tonight
Turn off the TV and put the magazine away
In the mirror tell me what you see
See the evidence of divine presence
Women of the, Caribbean, they got the, golden sun
I know women on the continent got it
Nigeria, and Ghana, you know they got it
Tanzania, Namibia and Mozambique
And Bothswana, to let it speak
About latinas, columbianas
And the Bronx women walk that walk
Honies from Queens walk that walk, NYC, ATL, LA
Cincinnati, the Bay Area
The lyrics of Mos Def's song All Praises Due celebrate brown skin women and all their beauty. The song is a conversation between Mos Def and Talib Kweli. They start by asking the brown-skinned lady who she is and where she is going. They then proceed to compliment her on the way she walks and moves, expressing their admiration and attraction towards her. The verses mention how incredible brown-skinned women are and how they inspire communities to create environments for happy brown babies. The song concludes with a message of self-love and appreciation. The chorus repeats the admiration for the way the brown-skinned lady walks and moves, while the bridge highlights the diversity of beautiful women across different countries and regions.
Line by Line Meaning
Be like yo, let me ask you somethin
I would like to inquire and seek information from you
I wanna know, I wanna know who you are
I have a desire to understand and discover your true identity
Where you goin
May I inquire about your intended destination
What you doin?
Can you please inform me about your current activity
How do you feel?
Can you kindly express your emotional state
Way you walk, yes, I live the way you move
I immensely appreciate the manner in which you gracefully walk and move
When you walk on by
When you pass me by as you walk
Please, won't you do that dance
I kindly request that you perform that dance for me
Fresher than Tony Rebel's vestibules at African street festivals
You possess a level of freshness comparable to the vibrant atmosphere of African street festivals
My incredible women is, plentiful
The women I encounter are extraordinary and abundant in number
Over the years I met a few, none of them compare to you
Throughout my experiences, I have encountered several women, but none of them possess the same qualities as you
Preparin you to make food bearable, somethin terrible, let's see
I am preparing you to be the one who can make the act of eating enjoyable and alleviate something unpleasant, let's explore this further
You fruitful, beautiful, smart, lovable, huggable
You are abundant in positive qualities such as being fruitful, beautiful, intelligent, lovable, and huggable
Doable like art, suitable to be part
You are comparable to art in terms of being able to create and suitable to be a part of something
Of my life, Coppertone, oh you copyright infringement
You have become an integral part of my life, like Coppertone sunscreen, and it feels as if you have infringed on my copyrights of happiness
Pay you bidness ten cents, way back in the day
I would willingly pay you a valuable amount, such as ten cents, to engage in business with you, like in the olden days
It's like I'm standin there you know appreciatin God's design
I find myself in awe, appreciating and acknowledging the brilliance and perfection of God's creation when I am near you
And then you showed up, it's like you read my mind
And then you unexpectedly appeared, as if you had the ability to read my thoughts and desires
DAMN SHE'S FINE, I think I add the are-E, in front of that
She is incredibly attractive, and I am tempted to add an extra 'E' to emphasize the degree of her beauty
And see if she D, to get, with a cat like me
I am curious to find out if she desires to be in a relationship with someone like me
Ooooh! Daring me girl, look at you
Oh my! You are taking risks and exhibiting confidence, my dear
Comin on the block lookin fresh and brand new
You arrive in the neighborhood, looking incredibly stylish and rejuvenated
Headwrap cover your hairdo
You have a headwrap that beautifully complements your hairstyle
Pretty feet peekin through open-toed shoe
Your feet, which are quite attractive, are visible through your open-toed shoes
No limit to what I would do
I am willing to go to great lengths and take on any challenge for you
Make love to you like long interview
I desire to express my love and affection towards you in a manner that resembles a lengthy and intimate interview
Is she for real, me like you
Is it possible that you are genuine and authentic? Because I am strongly attracted to you
Good look champion, win the title
You possess great beauty and attractiveness, making you deserving of the title of a champion
Many man try invite you
Numerous men try to gain your attention and invite you into their lives
Shot down lyric each time they cyph you
They are consistently defeated and rejected when they attempt to engage in a lyrical exchange with you
Jewel, what man you get all insides you
Your inner qualities and essence are so valuable and precious, it makes one wonder who has the privilege of experiencing them
Feet they walk way and just that sheik posture
Your feet confidently and gracefully move, supporting your elegant and fashionable posture
Can't be a next one like you
There is no other individual who can compare to you
Famous like tapes made by DJ Clue
You have achieved a level of fame and recognition, similar to the mixtapes created by DJ Clue
I tighten up my game as I approach you
I prepare myself and improve my approach when I come near you
Yo check her she the nectar the bee get close to
Observe her, as she possesses an enticing quality that bees are naturally attracted to, like honey
I don't get many compliments, but I am confident
Although I don't receive compliments frequently, I possess a sense of self-assurance
Used to have a complex about, gettin too complex
I used to struggle with the idea of becoming too intricate or difficult to understand
You got me, willin to try, looked me in the eye
You have inspired me to be open-minded and willing to attempt new things, as you have made direct eye contact with me
My head is still in the sky, since you walked on by
My thoughts and emotions are still soaring in euphoria since the moment you passed by
I'm feelin high, got my imagination flickerin like hot flames
I am experiencing a sense of elation, and my imagination is ignited and vibrant, like flickering flames
It's how it seems, you make me wanna ride the Coltrane to A Love Supreme
This is the impression you give me, as your presence and influence make me want to embark on a musical journey with John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'
My brown lady, creates environments, for
My companion with brown skin has the ability to cultivate and establish conducive environments
Happy brown babies, I know it sounds crazy
She brings about joy and happiness in the lives of brown babies, although it may sound absurd to some
But your skin's the inspiration for cocoa butter
Her skin serves as the source of inspiration for products like cocoa butter, which is renowned for its moisturizing properties
You provoke a brother we should get to know one another
Her presence stirs up emotions and curiosity, indicating that we should establish a deeper connection and understanding
I discover when I bring you through my people say TRUE, all I can say
I realize that when I introduce her to my acquaintances, they affirm her authenticity and genuineness, leaving me with nothing but agreement and affirmation
Is all praise due I thank you God for a beauty like you
All I can express is gratitude and praise to God for blessing me with a partner as beautiful as her
On the planet Earth today, yes
Referring to the present day, specifically among the brown-skinned ladies on Earth
There she is
Ah, there she is
You know what some people put themselves through
It's astonishing what lengths some people go to
To look just like you?
In order to resemble someone like you?
Without makeup you're beautiful
Your beauty shines even without the aid of cosmetics
Whatcha you need to paint the next face for
There's no need to enhance someone else's appearance with makeup
We're not dealin with the European standard of beauty tonight
In this moment, we are not adhering to the conventional European standards of beauty
Turn off the TV and put the magazine away
Let's ignore the influence of television and magazines
In the mirror tell me what you see
Look in the mirror and describe what you observe about yourself
See the evidence of divine presence
You will witness the signs and indications of a divine presence within yourself
Women of the Caribbean, they got the golden sun
Caribbean women possess the radiant essence of the golden sun
I know women on the continent got it
Likewise, women from the African continent also possess this exceptional quality
Nigeria, and Ghana, you know they got it
Countries like Nigeria and Ghana are known for possessing this extraordinary quality
Tanzania, Namibia and Mozambique
Even countries like Tanzania, Namibia, and Mozambique exude this remarkable essence
And Bothswana, to let it speak
Even Botswana is a testament to this attribute
About latinas, columbianas
We can also celebrate the qualities and beauty of Latinas, particularly those from Colombia
And the Bronx women walk that walk
Women from the Bronx possess a distinctive and confident way of walking
Honies from Queens walk that walk, NYC, ATL, LA
Women from Queens, as well as those from New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, all have a similar captivating way of walking
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tochiRTA
this song is so fire. Man Mos was really that guy at one point
@jeanchristopher8
Is * Mashallah
@sabi_cesar
I’m not Muslim, but I respect Yasiin Bey so much for his faith and values.
@LostAngel723
I'm glad I found this track. Classic
@setondriveable
I thank God every day for just creating me. He didn't have to. And despite my flaws he keeps blessing me
@Kimeikus
Facts man 🔥
@loverealmusic
All praise due!!!keep on MOS
@ThisIsMosel
Masterful Sufi Lord poetry. 🔮🎶☪️
@bornwisedistruction
One of the Illest Mos tracks
@jameelhussain8952
this should get way more than 4000 views for real