Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American actor and a Grammy-nominated rapper known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, who released the well-received album "Black Star" in 1998. He was a major force in the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion spearheaded by Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums "Black on Both Sides" in 1999, "The New Danger" in 2004, and "True Magic", 2006.