The discography of

Yasiin Bey Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in Political hip-hop, conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and comme ...

(formerly known as Mos Def), an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, consists of five solo studio albums, five collaborative studio albums, four compilation albums, one extended play, and 29 singles (11 as a featured artist). In 1994, Bey began his

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

career 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 Rawkus Records (or Rawkus Entertainment) is an American hip hop record label, owned by James Murdoch, known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One) ...

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 *Black dwarf ...

, with rapper

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

. "

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 Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...

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", which reached No. 20 on the US ''Billboard''

chart, and "Umi Says", which reached No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart. Bey performed on several compilations from

and other independent compilation albums. Among them was the single " Oh No" with Pharaohe Monch and

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him 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 Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

''. Featuring

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

, "Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)" reached No. 95 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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 ...

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'', 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 po ...

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 studio 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 ...

'' was released in 2009 on

Downtown Records Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Interscope Capitol Labels Group (formerly Geffen Records, Interscope ...

with distribution by

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. His fifth album ''Negus'' was exclusively premiered during Art Basel in Hong Kong on March 29, 2019. According to a press release, it will never receive a physical or digital release but will be displayed at sound installations around the world. In April 2022, a release date for the long-awaited Black Star project was officially announced. The album titled ''

No Fear of Time No or NO may refer to: Linguistics and symbols * Yes and no, ''Yes'' and ''no'', responses * No, an English determiner in noun phrases * No (kana) (, ), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol (🚫), the general prohibition sign * Numer ...

'' was released via Luminary on May 3, 2022. In 2024, Bey announced an extended play ''Money Christmas'', his first solo project in five years. It debuted on December 15 as a pay-per-view livestream on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

, and is set to release on March 15 the following year. Also, the same month the EP was released, Bey announced a new project with

the Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

titled ''Forensics'', which premiered on February 7 with a pay-per-view Bandcamp livestream, and it set to release on March 28.

Albums

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

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 The Hot Singles Sales, also known as the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the POS chart, was a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling physical singles in the United States, such as CD singles, vinyl single ...

charts.

Collaborative singles

*A. Charted only on the

charts.

As featured artist

*A. Charted only on the

charts.

Other appearances

Videos

* 1994: ''Manifest Destiny'' (Urban Thermo Dynamics) * 1996: ''The Love Song'' (

Da Bush Babees Da Bush Babees is an American hip-hop trio loosely affiliated with the Native Tongues. The members of the group originally performed under the stage names Babe-B-Face Kaos (later Lee Majors), Mister Man (later King Khaliyl) and Y-Tee (later L ...

featuring Mos Def) * 1998: ''Travellin' Man'' ( DJ Honda featuring Mos Def) * 1998: ''Body Rock'' (Mos Def,

Q-Tip Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English), also Q-tips ( proprietary eponym), are wads of cotton wrapped around a short rod made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. They are most commonly used for ear cleaning, although th ...

& Tash) * 1998: ''

'' (

) * 1999: ''

Respiration Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...

'' (Black Star featuring

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

) * 1999: ''Tinseltown to the Boogiedown'' (

Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...

featuring Mos Def & Lee Majors) * 1999: ''B-Boy Document '99'' (

The High & Mighty The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon ("The High", b. Erik Meltzer in February 16, 1972) and producer DJ Mighty Mi ("The Mighty", b. Milo Berger in September 1, 1972). Career Their comme ...

featuring Mos Def & Skillz) * 1999: '' Ms. Fat Booty'' (Mos Def) * 1999: ''Umi Says'' (Mos Def) * 2000: ''One Four Love (Part 1)'' (Common,

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

Posdnuos Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969), also known by his stage name Posdnuos, Plug 1 and occasionally Pos, is an American rapper and record producer from East Massapequa, New York, best known for his work as one third of the hip hop trio De La S ...

Rah Digga Rashia Tashan Fisher (born December 18, 1974), known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, '' Dirty H ...

Sporty Thievz Sporty Thievz is a Yonkers, New York–based hip-hop duo—originally a trio—composed of King Kirk (a.k.a. Thieven Stealburg), Big Dubez (a.k.a. Safecracker) and Marlon Bryant Brando (March 19, 1979 – May 11, 2001; a.k.a. Robin Hood). Biog ...

, Black Star, Pharaohe Monch &

Shabaam Sahdeeq Marcus Vialva (born January 13, 1974), better known by his stage name Shabaam Sahdeeq, is an American alternative hip hop artist from Brooklyn, New York City. He appeared with Rawkus Records and was featured alongside artists including Busta Rhym ...

) * 2000: ''Blak Iz Blak'' (Mos Def,

Canibus Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-American rapper. First having gained recognition for his freestyling abilities, he signed with Universal Records to release his debut studio al ...

Charli Baltimore Tiffany Lane (born August 16, 1974), better known by her stage name Charli Baltimore, is an American rapper, and television personality. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film '' The Long Kiss Goodnight''. Career Ch ...

MC Serch Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), better known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and record executive. He gained fame as part of the hip hop group 3rd Bass, who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s and released three s ...

, Mums,

DJ Scratch George Spivey (born June 21, 1968), known professionally as DJ Scratch, is an American hip hop music, hip hop DJ and producer from Brooklyn, New York. DJ Scratch is the 1988 New Music Seminar Battle For World Supremacy DJ champion, the 2010 M ...

& Gano Grills) * 2000: '' Oh No'' (Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch &

) * 2002: ''Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)'' (Mos Def featuring

) * 2004: ''Two Words'' (Kanye West featuring Mos Def,

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

& The Harlem Boys Choir) * 2004: '' Ghetto Rock'' (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 The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

featuring Mos Def &

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

) * 2009: ''Taxi (Snippet)'' (

Ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

featuring Mos Def) * 2009: ''Supermagic'' (Mos Def) * 2010: ''History'' (Mos Def featuring

) * 2010: ''White Drapes (Snippet)'' (Mos Def) * 2010: ''Stylo'' (

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

featuring Mos Def &

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

) * 2010: ''It Ain't My Fault'' (Gulf Aid All-Stars featuring

Preservation Hall Jazz Band The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a ...

, Mos Def,

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

Trombone Shorty Troy Andrews (born January 2, 1986), also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop. Biography Andrews was one of s ...

) * 2010: ''Cream of the Planet'' (

Ski Beatz David Anthony Willis, known professionally as Ski Beatz, is an American record producer from Greensboro, North Carolina, mainly working in hip hop. Biography Discovered by DJ Clark Kent, Ski was originally known as "MC Will-Ski" in the late 1 ...

featuring Mos Def) * 2022: ''Peppa'' (Westside Gunn featuring Black Star) * 2022: ''So Be It'' (Black Star)

Notes

References

{{Mos Def Hip-hop discographies Discographies of American artists

Albums

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Solo

Collaborative singles

As featured artist

Other appearances

Videos

See also

Notes

References