There are not many artists in today’s Hip-Hop landscape that will ride for the cause until the wheels fall off like Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def. There was a time when social commentary and political activism was the primary objective of premier Hip-Hop artists and their associates, but during the culture’s most widely recognized creative shift acknowledged as the “Bling Era,” the artist from Brooklyn emerged with an updated formula on how to kick knowledge without dropping the new generation’s attention. In his most recent protest against global and domestic policies of excessive brutality against the people, Mos showed us once again what it means to be committed to the cause, allowing a Guantanamo Bay inspired force feeding procedure to be performed on him to shed light on the inhumane treatment of the detainees by U.S. military. In appreciation of our rapper/actor/brother in arms, The Urban Daily will highlight some of Mos Def’s most highly publicized fights against the powers that be.
5. Mumia Performance
When Mos Def was still gaining fame as a viable emcee during his Black Star days with Talib Kweli, activism was already a part of his platform as an artist. In 2000, Mos, along with Black Thought of The Roots and dead prez, put on a benefit concert called “Voice of the Voiceless” in NYC for internationally recognized political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Held at Hunter College, the show was initiated to bring media attention to police brutality cases.
4. Bill Maher Appearances
Before Bill Maher was Black America’s favorite white talk show host after Maury Povich, Mos def took his opportunity during his appearance in 2007 on the political leftist show to address the Jena 6, the government’s response to the citizens of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the overall racism against African-Americans. He appeared on the Maher’s show again in 2009, this time speaking out about the adverse effects of nuclear weapons. Def claims that he didn’t trust America’s translations of the Bin Laden so-called terrorist messages.
3. The Rape Over
Taking a shot at the rap industry and an indirect subliminal at its poster boy Jay-Z, Mos put an entire different perspective on the rap game over Hov’s “Takeover” instrumental. In a brutally honest and revealing lyrical tirade, the rapper/actor/activist blurts out on the chorus, “Old white men is runnin’ this rap s**t, Corporate forces runnin’ this rap s**t, a tall Israeli is runnin’ this rap s**t..” As much of a hit the song was for Jigga, there’s no doubt that Def’s spin on it breathed new life into the song and the original purpose of Hip-Hop music.
2. Katrina Clap
The 2005 tragedy brought on the city of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was possibly the worst natural disaster that has ever been experienced by American citizens. One of the most memorable protests of the government’s response to Katrina victims was Mos Def’s impromptu performance of “Katrina Clap”, a remake of UTP‘s “Nolia Clap” on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer in front of Radio City Music Hall on the night of the MTV Video Music Awards. Even though Mos had a permit to perform in public, he was still arrested following the performance.
