Studio albums 4 Music videos 6 Features singles 6 | Compilation albums 3 Collaboration albums 2 | |
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The discography of Yasiin Bey / Mos Def, an American rapper, consists of four solo albums, two compilation albums, and several singles. Mos Def 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 trio Black Star with rapper Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. "Definition", the single from Black Star's self-titled debut album, reached #60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
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In 1999, Mos Def released his solo debut album Black on Both Sides, which was certified Gold in the US and featured the singles "Ms. Fat Booty", which reached #20 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, and "Umi Says", which reached #60 on the UK Singles Chart. Mos Def performed on several compilations from Rawkus Records and other independent compilation albums. Among them was the single "Oh No" with Pharaohe Monch and Nate Dogg which reached #83 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Singles. In 2001, his single "Jam on It" from Underground Airplay Version 1.0 reached #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 #95 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In 2004, Mos Def 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 #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 Mos Def'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. Mos Def's third solo album, Tru3 Magic, was released in 2006 to very little hype. Its single "Undeniable" charted only on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart but was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2007. Mos Def's fourth solo album The Ecstatic was released in 2009 on Downtown Records with distribution by Universal Records.