Yasiin Bey

Yasiin Bey in 2004, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Dante Terrell Smith

Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: December 11, 1973

Ethnicity: African-American

Yasiin Bey, previously known as Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and activist. Aside from his solo music, he was a member of rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD), with his siblings, and then hip hop duo Black Star, with Talib Kweli. He was a featured artist on De La Soul’s album Stakes is High. He has also been known as Black Dante, Dante Beze, Flaco, and El-Bey the Moor.

He is the son of Sheron and Abdulrahman Smith. His father was a member of the Nation of Islam, and later a follower of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who merged into mainstream Sunni Islam. His mother is a motivational speaker, who wrote the book Shine Your Light: A Life Skills Workbook. Yasiin converted to Islam in his teens.

Populary known as Mos Def early in his career, he changed his name to Yasiin Bey in 2011. Yasiin has six children, including two with his former wife Maria Yepes; and R&B singer Laila Smith/Laila!