The discography of
Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, an American
rapper, consists of four solo albums, two compilation albums, and several singles. Bey began his
hip hop career in 1994 in the underground rap group UTD (Urban Thermo Dynamics) alongside his sibling group members DCQ and Ces, after which he pursued a solo career. In 1998, he made his mainstream debut on
Rawkus Records in the duo
Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to:
Astronomy
*Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole
*Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief
Literature
...
with rapper
Talib Kweli. "
Definition
A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...
", the lead single from Black Star's
self-titled debut album, reached No. 60 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 3 on the
Hot Rap Singles chart.
In 1999, Yasiin Bey released his solo debut album ''
Black on Both Sides'', which was certified Gold in the US and featured the singles "
Ms. Fat Booty
"Ms. Fat Booty" is a song by American rapper Mos Def. It was released on August 2, 1999 through Rawkus Records, as the lead single from the musician's debut solo studio album ''Black on Both Sides''. Hip hop production, Production was handled by A ...
", which reached No. 20 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot Rap Singles chart, and "Umi Says", which reached No. 60 on the
UK Singles Chart. Bey performed on several compilations from
Rawkus Records and other independent compilation albums. Among them was the single "
Oh No Oh No may refer to:
* An exclamation used to indicate shock or dismay, primarily used in the English language
Music
* Oh No (musician) (born 1979), American rapper
Albums
* ''Oh No!'', 2004 album by Crackout
* ''Oh No'' (OK Go album), 2005
* ...
" with
Pharaohe Monch and
Nate Dogg
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...
which reached No. 83 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles. In 2001, his single "Jam on It" from ''Underground Airplay Version 1.0'' reached No. 23 on the Hot Rap Tracks. In 2002, he appeared on the track "Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)" on the soundtrack to the film ''
Brown Sugar''. Featuring
Faith Evans, "Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)" reached No. 95 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In 2004, Yasiin Bey released his second solo album ''
The New Danger'', in which he experimented with other genres such as rock and
R&B. The single "
Sex, Love & Money" reached No. 90 on the R&B chart. Later the same year saw the release of UTD album ''Manifest Destiny'' under the independent label Illsion Media, run by Bey's brother and fellow group member DCQ. The album featured a compilation of previously unreleased and re-released tracks recorded during the original UTD run. Bey's third solo album, ''
Tru3 Magic
''True Magic'' (or ''TRU3 MAGIC'') is the third studio album by American rapper Mos Def, released on December 29, 2006, by Geffen Records. After Geffen had absorbed Mos Def's former label Rawkus, the album was released haphazardly to fulfill a cont ...
'', was released in 2006 to very little hype. Its single "Undeniable" charted only on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
chart but was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2007.
Yasiin Bey's fourth solo album ''
The Ecstatic
''The Ecstatic'' is the fourth album by American rapper Mos Def, released on June 9, 2009, by the independent record label Downtown Records. After venturing further away from hip hop with an acting career and two poorly received albums, Mos Def ...
'' was released in 2009 on
Downtown Records with distribution by
Universal Records.
His fifth album ''Negus'' was exclusively premiered during Art Basel in Hong Kong on March 29, 2019; and according to a press release, it will never receive a physical or digital release but will be displayed at sound installations around the world.
Albums
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Solo
*A. Charted only on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, a 25-song extensions of the original Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
*B. Charted only on the
Hot Singles Sales or
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
charts.
Collaborative singles
*A. Charted only on the
Hot Singles Sales or
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
charts.
As featured artist
*A. Charted only on the
Hot Singles Sales or
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
charts.
Other appearances
Videos
* 1994: ''Manifest Destiny''
(Urban Thermo Dynamics)
* 1996: ''The Love Song''
( Da Bush Babees featuring Mos Def)
* 1998: ''Travellin' Man''
( DJ Honda featuring Mos Def)
* 1998: ''Body Rock''
(Mos Def, Q-Tip & Tash)
* 1998: ''
Definition
A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...
''
(Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to:
Astronomy
*Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole
*Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief
Literature
...
)
* 1999: ''
Respiration''
(Black Star featuring Common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
)
* 1999: ''Tinseltown to the Boogiedown''
(Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history.
Beginning as a punk-inspired collect ...
featuring Mos Def & Lee Majors)
* 1999: ''B-Boy Document '99''
( The High & Mighty featuring Mos Def & Skillz Skillz may refer to:
* Skillz (company), an online mobile multiplayer video game competition platform
* Skillz (rapper)
Donnie Shaquan Lewis, (born June 2, 1974) also known as Skillz, or Mad Skillz is an American rapper known for his accl ...
)
* 1999: ''
Ms. Fat Booty
"Ms. Fat Booty" is a song by American rapper Mos Def. It was released on August 2, 1999 through Rawkus Records, as the lead single from the musician's debut solo studio album ''Black on Both Sides''. Hip hop production, Production was handled by A ...
''
(Mos Def)
* 1999: ''Umi Says''
(Mos Def)
* 2000: ''One Four Love (Part 1)''
(Common, Kool G Rap, Posdnuos
Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969), also known by his stage name Posdnuos and occasionally Pos, is an American rapper and producer from East Massapequa, New York best known for his work as one-third of the hip hop trio De La Soul. Through ...
, Rah Digga, Sporty Thievz, Black Star, Pharaohe Monch & Shabaam Sahdeeq)
* 2000: ''Blak Iz Blak''
(Mos Def, Canibus, Charli Baltimore, MC Serch, Mums, DJ Scratch & Gano Grills)
* 2000: ''
Oh No Oh No may refer to:
* An exclamation used to indicate shock or dismay, primarily used in the English language
Music
* Oh No (musician) (born 1979), American rapper
Albums
* ''Oh No!'', 2004 album by Crackout
* ''Oh No'' (OK Go album), 2005
* ...
''
(Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch & Nate Dogg
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...
)
* 2002: ''Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)''
(Mos Def featuring Faith Evans)
* 2004: ''Two Words''
(Kanye West featuring Mos Def, Freeway & The Harlem Boys Choir)
* 2004: ''
Ghetto Rock
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
''
(Mos Def)
* 2004: ''
Sex, Love & Money''
(Mos Def)
* 2005: ''Yo-Yo-Yo''
(Medina Green featuring Mos Def)
* 2005: ''Dollar Day''
(Mos Def)
* 2009: ''Casa Bey''
(Mos Def)
* 2009: ''Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)''
( The Black Keys featuring Mos Def & Jim Jones)
* 2009: ''Taxi (Snippet)''
( Ski featuring Mos Def)
* 2009: ''Supermagic''
(Mos Def)
* 2010: ''History''
(Mos Def featuring Talib Kweli)
* 2010: ''White Drapes (Snippet)''
(Mos Def)
* 2010: ''Stylo''
(Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...
featuring Mos Def & Bobby Womack)
* 2010: ''It Ain't My Fault''
(Gulf Aid All-Stars featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
& Trombone Shorty)
* 2010: ''Cream of the Planet''
( Ski Beatz featuring Mos Def)
* 2022: ''Peppa'' (Westside Gunn featuring Black Star)
* 2022: ''So Be It'' (Black Star)
See also
*
Black Star discography
Notes
References
{{Mos Def
Hip hop discographies
Discographies of American artists