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
Nadine
Mos Def Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought I saw my future bride walking up the street
I shouted to the driver, "Hey conductor, you must slow down
I think I see her, please let me off this bus"
Nadine, honey, is that you?
Oh, Nadine, honey, is that you?
Seems like every time I see you
I saw her from the corner when she turned and doubled back
And started walkin' toward a coffee colored Cadillac
I was pushin' through the crowd tryin' to get to where she's at
I was campaign shouting like a southern diplomat
Nadine, honey, is that you?
Oh, Nadine, honey, where are you?
Seems like every time I catch up with you
You're up to something new
Downtown searching for her looking all around
Saw her getting in a yellow cab heading up town
I caught a loaded taxi, paid up everybody's tab
With a twenty dollar bill told him, "Catch that yellow cab"
Nadine, honey, is that you?
Oh, Nadine, honey, is that you?
Seems like every time I catch up with you
You're up to something new
She moves around like a wave of summer breeze
Go, driver, go, go, catch her for me please
Moving through the traffic like a mounted cavalier
Leaning out the taxi window trying to make her hear
Nadine, honey, is that you?
Oh, Nadine, honey, is that you?
Seems like every time I see you
Darling you're up to something new
The song "Nadine" by Mos Def is a cover of a Chuck Berry classic. The lyrics tell the story of the singer, Mos Def himself, as he sees a woman he believes to be his future bride while riding on a city bus. He attempts to get off the bus to pursue her, but the driver must slow down for him to do so. He then sees her walking towards a coffee-colored Cadillac and tries to make his way through the crowd to catch up with her.
As the song progresses, Mos Def tells the story of how he continues to search for Nadine, who is always up to something new every time he catches up with her. He sees her getting into a yellow cab and decides to follow her, catching up with her in heavy traffic. He finally leans out of the taxi window, shouting to her, hoping she will hear him.
The song's lyrics touch on themes of love, perseverance, and the pursuit of one's desires. The catchy melody and upbeat rhythm make it a feel-good song that listeners can easily relate to. Mos Def's unique delivery and phrasing add a level of depth to the song, making it an even more enjoyable listen.
Line by Line Meaning
As I got on a city bus and found a vacant seat
The singer got on a city bus and found an empty seat.
I thought I saw my future bride walking up the street
The singer thought they saw the person they were going to marry walking up the street.
I shouted to the driver, "Hey conductor, you must slow down
The singer yelled to the driver to slow down.
I think I see her, please let me off this bus"
The artist asked to be let off the bus because they thought they saw the person they were going to marry.
Nadine, honey, is that you?
The artist is calling out to someone named Nadine.
Oh, Nadine, honey, is that you?
The singer is repeating their question, calling out to someone named Nadine.
Seems like every time I see you
The singer notes that every time they see Nadine,
Darling you got something else to do
Nadine is busy doing something else.
I saw her from the corner when she turned and doubled back
The artist saw Nadine when she turned and came back.
And started walkin' toward a coffee colored Cadillac
Nadine started walking towards a coffee colored Cadillac.
I was pushin' through the crowd tryin' to get to where she's at
The singer was trying to get to where Nadine was by pushing through the crowd.
I was campaign shouting like a southern diplomat
The artist was shouting like a southern diplomat.
Seems like every time I catch up with you
The singer notes that every time they catch up with Nadine,
You're up to something new
Nadine is doing something new.
Downtown searching for her looking all around
The singer is searching for Nadine downtown.
Saw her getting in a yellow cab heading up town
The artist saw Nadine getting in a yellow cab heading uptown.
I caught a loaded taxi, paid up everybody's tab
The artist took a taxi and paid everyone's bill.
With a twenty dollar bill told him, "Catch that yellow cab"
The singer gave the taxi driver a $20 bill and told him to catch the yellow cab Nadine got in.
She moves around like a wave of summer breeze
The singer describes Nadine's movements as being like a summer breeze.
Go, driver, go, go, catch her for me please
The artist urges the taxi driver to catch up to Nadine.
Moving through the traffic like a mounted cavalier
The artist describes the taxi moving through traffic like a horseman on a cavalry.
Leaning out the taxi window trying to make her hear
The artist leans out the window of the taxi to try and get Nadine's attention.
Contributed by Cameron G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ajesam George
on Ms. Fat Booty
https://soundcloud.com/.../sudenly-by-da-george-prod-by...