Rock Hall of Fame honors Austin City Limits Aug 11, 2009
Lickona noted that the show will tape its first hip-hop program this season with Mos Def and K'naan. The television show is embarking on its 35th season beginning Oct. 3 with the Dave Matthews Band. (MSNBC -- Music)
Second-stage jazz acts steal the show in Newport Aug 10, 2009
With 30 sets of music over two days at Fort Adams State Park, virtually every style of jazz was represented on the big stage: the stately cool jazz of the Dave Brubeck Quartet; the straight-ahead hard bop of groups led by Roy Haynes and Cedar Walton; the modern-meets-traditional sounds of pianist Michel Camilo, Branford Marsalis s quartet, Joe Lovano s two-drummer quintet, and Joshua Redman Double Trio with two bassists and two drummers; the 21st-century blends created by singer/bassist... (Boston Globe)
Grammy winner Chaka Khan leads entertainment lineup 55th jazz festival in Rhode Island Aug 8, 2009
Among the other acts playing this weekend are Mos Def, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Dave Brubeck Quartet and Tony Bennett. . (FOX61, CT)
When Jazz Meets Hip-Hop Aug 5, 2009
His collaborations with Mos Def, Q-Tip, Bilal and Maxwell have afforded him onsite training with high-caliber hip-hop and R&B musicians ... And even though the Experiment material contains a superfluous special appearance by Mos Def on the brief 4eva and by Bilal on the agreeable, but ultimately bland, mid-tempo All Matter, Glasper engages his new band mates with same vigorous improvisational interplay he has with his trio. (Slate)
Mos Def and the Boogeyman Jul 28, 2009
Mos Def vs. Christopher Hitchens on 'Real Time with Bill Maher ... Rapper Mos Def is talented and politcally savvy, but he suffers from the same irrational distrust that afflicts so many young, black men ... Mos Def vs. Christopher Hitchens on 'Real Time with Bill Maher. (Slate)
EA Announces Fall Music Line Up for Sports Franchises Jul 28, 2009
"market" : {"NAME" : "U.S.", "ID" : "us_market", "TZ" : "ET", "TZOFFSET" : "-14400", "open" : "1248787817", "close" : "1248811217", "flags" : {}} , "STREAMER_SERVER" : "http://streamerapi.finance.yahoo.com","arrowAsChangeSign" : false,"throttleInterval": "1000". Search for share prices. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
K’Naan tells stories from mean streets of Somalia Jul 17, 2009
America is a straight-up hip-hop track in which he trades verses with Charlie 2na and Mos Def. Fatima is a sweet lament of lost love spurred by subtle horns and underlined by organ fills. (Boston Globe)
The Best Albums Of 2009 (So Far) Jul 16, 2009
Lily Allen, Mos Def and Kelly Clarkson make the mid-year list, in Bigger Than the Sound. by James Montgomery. (VHI.com -- Music News)
On Demand picks Jul 14, 2009
(MAX on Comcast) After a freak accident destroys the cassette collection of a vintage video store, two buddies (Mos Def and Jack Black) are forced to remake the entire inventory themselves. Their rousingly bad moviemaking brings out some of writer-and-director Michel Gondry s most blissful. (Boston Globe)
Man shot dead in scuffle with NYC cop Jul 14, 2009
Walker, 49, often asked people not to linger on the stoop, said James, whose district includes the neighborhood, home to actress Rosie Perez and rapper-actor Mos Def. Walker's sister, Jean Nurse, said he was a "good person at heart" and the father of two daughters. (MSNBC -- Crime)
Man Shot in Scuffle With New York City Cop on His Stoop Jul 13, 2009
Walker, 49, often asked people not to linger on the front steps, said James, whose district includes the neighborhood, home to actress Rosie Perez and rapper-actor Mos Def. Walker's sister, Jean Nurse, said he was a "good person at heart" and the father of two daughters. (Fox News)
Daily TV guide Jul 10, 2009
Will Ferrell; Kyra Sedgwick; Mos Def. Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson at 12:37 a.m. on Chs. (Boston Globe)
Jamie Foxx to Host Special Edition of His Exclusive SIRIUS XM Radio Show Live From Las Vegas on July 4th Weekend Jul 2, 2009
Foxx has welcomed a wide variety of guests on his radio show including Jesse Jackson, Jr., Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Serena Williams, Cedric the Entertainer, Diddy, Mayor Corey Booker, Isaac Hayes, John Amos, Teddy Riley, and Steve Harvey. Intuition, Foxx's third studio album, was released in December 2008. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
PICK OF THE WEEK: Sarah Jarosz Jun 30, 2009
Pick of the week: Sarah Jarosz's single 'Edge of a Dream' - USATODAY.com. Pick of the week: Sarah Jarosz's single 'Edge of a Dream. (USA Today -- Life)
Braves need win tonight — no, really Jun 26, 2009
The new Mos Def CD, The Ecstatic, is probably the second-best best hip-hop CD I ve purchased in the past couple of years, behind Nas untitled disc and better than Q-Tip s The Renaissance. Oh, and Todd Snider does a great song about Dock Ellis no-hitter-on-acid on Snider s great new CD. That s at least two cool songs written about that no-no in recent years, the other by Chuck Brodsky. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Jonas Brothers wander off track Jun 20, 2009
Mos Def, "The Ecstatic" ***1/2 ... What's so great about Mos Def. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Fontana Kicks-Off Blockbuster Summer Atop the Charts Jun 18, 2009
Rock Super-Group Chickenfoot and Pre-Eminent Hip Hop Artist Mos Def Score the #(4) and #(9) Albums in Country, Respectively. LOS ANGELES, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Fontana, the independent distribution arm of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has topped the national albums chart this week with two albums in the Top 10: the self-titled debut of Chickenfoot (#4)(Red Line) and Mos Def's Ecstatic (#9) (Downtown), according to Nielsen Soundscan ... As one of the most... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. Begins At Billboard #1 Jun 18, 2009
Peas kick Dave Matthews Band to #2, as Mos Def and Pleasure P debut in top 10. by Gil Kaufman. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Jonas Brothers Talk Collaboration With Common On New Album Jun 17, 2009
The pop idols include hip-hop and blues artists on Lines, Vines and Trying Times. ""We have Common on one song called 'Don't Charge Me With the Crime,' which is one of my favorite songs. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Music Reviews Jun 16, 2009
8d ago By , USA TODAY Fans have been waiting nearly a decade for a worthy follow-up to Mos Def's debut Black on Both Sides, and he delivers with his most sharply focused effort to date. Mos Def, The Ecstatic FIND MORE STORIES IN. (USA Today -- Life)
A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD Jun 6, 2009
-Mos Def, "The Ecstatic". Dirty Projectors, "Bitte Orca". (Erie Times-News, PA)
'Def Jam Rapstar' Video Game Coming This Year May 30, 2009
Def Jam Rapstar' Video Game Coming This Year. Game's trailer features Young Jeezy, but track list has not been announced. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Jamie Foxx Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend With Live Broadcast of His Exclusive SIRIUS XM Foxxhole Radio Show from Aruba May 21, 2009
Foxx has welcomed a wide variety of guests on his radio show including Jesse Jackson, Jr., Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Serena Williams, Cedric the Entertainer, Diddy, Mayor Corey A. Booker, Isaac Hayes, John Amos, Teddy Riley, and Steve Harvey. Intuition, Foxx's third studio album, was released in December 2008. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
George Wein stresses avant-garde acts for Newport jazz festival May 17, 2009
"I have only two artists that may be considered commercial artists - Mos Def and Tony Bennett - and I'm happy I have both of them," Wein says. "But if we can't make it with jazz, then we can't make it. We have to have faith in the music itself - faith in the music and faith in the musicians who play it.". (Boston Globe)
Say Word the White House Likes Slam Poetry May 14, 2009
It was a night that probably made Mos Def jealous, and one that most Americans didnt see coming. On Tuesday, Barack and Michelle Obama hosted an evening of entertainment that featured poetry, music, andyou guessed itspoken word. (Slate)
Eminem Kept It Serious In His First MTV News Interview May 13, 2009
" At the time, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst was fusing rock and rap, the Beastie Boys were leaning more toward punk, and Everlast left House of Pain to do his Whitey Ford thing.Former MTV News producer Darin Byrne went around asking LL Cool J and Mos Def, among others, about the state of white rappers, and a few folks told him about this new kid Dr. Dre was working with. "No one knew how he was spelling his name at the time," Byrne recalled. "The assumption was 'Mke the candy. " Byrne set up... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Comedy or drug drama, 'Air' fails to fly either way May 8, 2009
Next Day Air" comes across in trailers as a lightweight screwball enterprise. Its stars include Donald Faison ("Scrubs"), Mike Epps ("All About the Benjamins"), and Mos Def ("Be Kind Rewind"). It's directed by a guy named Benny Boom.So why isn't it more fun? Well, to borrow a line from its ad campaign: Think inside the box.This is a movie that mines its plot from the Stone Age (or is it Stoned Age?) of caper comedies. The trouble begins when bumbling thieves accidentally intercept a shipment of... (Boston Globe)
G. Riot's dorm room hip-hop May 8, 2009
He ranks the Chicago luminaries among his major influences, along with Jay-Z, Eminem, and Mos Def. But when he jokes about one influence - "the Roots, the Roots, the Roots" - it's pure innuendo. (Boston Globe)
Next Day Air Review May 8, 2009
Mos Def isn't in the film as much as its marketing suggests, but he's his usual solid self in the few amusing scenes he does have ... New pics from the action comedy with Mike Epps and Mos Def. (IGN FilmForce)
Summer film guide May 8, 2009
Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def star. "Star Trek" (PG-13): Geek national holiday. (AZCentral -- News)
What's Playing May 7, 2009
Next Day Air - Donald Faison, Mos Def, Wood Harris and Mike Epps co-star in this comedy about a package of cocaine that goes astray and changes the lives of everyone involved. Hey, at least it wasn't anthrax. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Asher Roth majors in success with hit 'I Love College' May 6, 2009
Roth grew up listening to Jay-Z, Outkast, the Notorious B.I.G., Mos Def and The Roots. "When your friends like it, you like it," he says. (USA Today)
K'Naan Hopes To Break The U.S. With Help From Mos Def, Adam Levine Apr 30, 2009
" While those folks are not on K'Naan's latest album, a slew of other eclectic acts make up the disc's liner notes. Troubadour features guest spots by hip-hop heavyweights Mos Def and Chubb Rock as well as unlikely pairings with Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Metallica's Kirk Hammett. Damian Marley not only hopped on the reggae-infused track "I Come Prepared," but he invited K'Naan to record the album in Bob Marley's studios in Jamaica. The album may be full of coveted co-signs but K'Naan swears he... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Mos Def's Hawaii show tickets on sale tomorrow Apr 17, 2009
Tickets go on sale tomorrow for rapper Mos Def's May 21 concert at Pipeline Caf ... Mos Def's breakthrough album in 1998 was "Black Star," a collaboration with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek ... Mos Def is also known for his acting. (Honolulu Advertiser)
DVD Review: Cadillac Records Apr 13, 2009
Theater actor Jeffrey Wright gracefully plays bluesman Muddy Waters, beside Adrien Brody s thrifty Leonard Chess, Columbus Short s loose and wild Little Walter, strong, guarded Etta James, and Mos Def s jovial, light-footed Chuck Berry. Gabrielle Union plays Muddy s faithful wife, Geneva Wade, with just enough steady pain to make the audience question whether she will stick around, and to root for her whichever way she decides to go. (Suite101.com)
Sundance > Apr 7, 2009
Michele Gondry's latest, 'Be Kind Rewind,' stars Jack Black and Mos Def. . (Variety)
Riffs on Freedom Apr 7, 2009
And although the two-day event featured 40 stellar artists including Mos Def, , , , with , , The Stylistics, Zap Mama, the main attraction was a 70-year-old legend who has sat in on his share of summit meetings and last week hugged nearly everyone he encountered. Hugh Masekela, the South African musician whose music helped define the horrors of apartheid, marked his 70th birthday on Saturday, and it seemed like the whole country was celebrating with him, and not just with the man but with the... (Slate)
Sunday Brunch: The Week in Review Apr 6, 2009
RS: , Mos Def Anticipates Company in "We Shouldn't Have Done That" Crew. . (Slate)
* SUNDAY PROFILE: Bill Maher is going straight to hell Apr 5, 2009
His panelists have included comics such as Roseanne Barr, Robin Williams and Sarah Silverman, novelists (Salman Rushdie), anti-globalization activists (Naomi Klein), political gadflies (Arianna Huffington), rappers (Mos Def, Will. I Am), and actors from Kevin Costner (dim) to Ben Affleck (sharp as a tack). (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Multi-Talented Musical Force of Nature Jason T. Miller Does It All-from Kanye to Keyshia 'Til Death! Apr 1, 2009
Collaborating with Kanye West, he co-wrote and produced Good Night, a track featuring Mos Def which the rap mogul recorded as a bookend to Good Morning, the opening track on Wests multi-platinum, triple Grammy Award winning album Graduation. The song was available as a bonus cut for those who purchased the album on iTunes and on the albums release in Japan, Australia and the U.K., where it hit #1. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Critic's corner Mar 23, 2009
Local Search Site Search. THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING. (Boston Globe)
Poet speaks in verses Mar 23, 2009
Sulaiman, an Atlanta-based artist who has toured with Mos Def, said it was important for him that the show double as a conversation with the audience. After reciting poems, he fielded questions about his upbringing, his influences and the meaning of his lyrics. (Northeastern News, MA)
88-Keys tries following Kanye's path Mar 20, 2009
He worked with Mos Def on two seminal hip-hop albums from the late 1990s (and it was Mos that introduced Keys to West), but then found himself treading water in the music industry. "To put it bluntly, and truthfully, I kind of fell off in the industry," Keys said. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
An odd couple of cases check in on 'House' Mar 16, 2009
An injured bicyclist (Mos Def) who is wrongly diagnosed as brain-dead but actually has "locked-in" syndrome, a condition in which he is conscious but cannot move or communicate (March 30). Much of the episode is shot from the patient's point of view. (USA Today)
Kanye West, 88-Keys Become Dirty Old Men For 'Stay Up (Viagra)' Video Mar 12, 2009
The duo don some special-effects makeup for the clip, which premieres Monday on MTV.. by Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Matt Elias. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Nothing common about him Mar 9, 2009
Guest artists have included MC Lyte, Cee-Lo, Mos Def, D'Angelo, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and Femi Kuti - and someone named Kanye West has executive produced the Grammy winner's albums, including last year's "Universal Mind Control." The rapper, actor, businessman, and activist started the Common Ground Foundation, which uses hip-hop to promote justice, education, health awareness, and fights poverty in underserved communities in the United States. Kid Cudi opens tonight's show. (Boston Globe)
DVD Report: What's new this week (March 8) Mar 8, 2009
Knowles as Etta James, and Mos Def (above) as Chuck Berry. Extras: Commentary by Martin; production featurettes. (Boston Globe)
Taylor Swift Beats Ex-Boyfriend Joe Jonas On Billboard Mar 5, 2009
The Jonas Brothers' '3D' soundtrack comes in at #3; Lamb of God stomp in at #2 (VHI.com -- Music News)
Jonas Brothers Go Hip-Hop? Mar 5, 2009
Someone like a Common or a Lupe Fiasco or a Mos Def,' Nick says of who he'd like to get on their next album ... it does sound different and kind of strange, and [we'd like to work with] a rapper who has some real meaningful lyrics," Nick, the self-proclaimed "most hip-hop" Jonas, told MTV News. "[Someone who] has some real depth to what he's saying someone like a Common or a Lupe Fiasco or a Mos Def. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rising Hip-Hop Star Stunts New Hit Single on iTunes Mar 3, 2009
Featuring Mos Def, Damian Marley, Chali 2Na & more. Get it here. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
K'Naan's 'Troubadour' melds diverse influences Mar 2, 2009
The guests, including the superfluous Mos Def and Chubb Rock, are just sops to get some commercial cred. It's the music that gets your attention - a lesson hip-hop has lost. (Boston Globe)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Sacha Gervasi, 85 mins, 12A Feb 22, 2009
The Story of Anvil, Sacha Gervasi, 85 mins, 12ACadillac Records, Darnell Martin, 109 mins, 15Che Part Two, Steven Soderbergh, 127 mins, 15 - Reviews, Films - The Independent (Independent)
Cadillac Records: Rhythm and plenty of blues Feb 21, 2009
Starring Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Beyonc Knowles, Mos Def, Columbus Short, Eamonn Walker and Cedric the Entertainer ... But Muddy's story, at least as presented here, is far less interesting than that of Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Etta James (Beyonc Knowles), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) ... As the star-crossed Berry, whose signature guitar riffs influenced both The Beatles and The Stones even as his personal fortunes... (Toronto Star)
The myth's better than reality Feb 20, 2009
Starring Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonc Knowles, Eamonn Walker, Mos Def, Columbus Short and Cedric the Entertainer ... And Mos Def mos' definitely can't do Chuck Berry onstage ... Listening to versions side by side, we hear that Mos Def vocally does not stay true to Chuck Berry's Maybellene. (Globe and Mail)
Star lineup for ABC's Dancing Feb 10, 2009
The Woodsman, opposite Kevin Bacon and Mos Def, 15 Minutes, Boomerang, Bewitched, Jumanji and Robert Altmans Streamers. A multi-talented and Yale School of Drama trained actor, David began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony nomination. (The Palm Beach Post)
Will Pfeifer: Stellar cast stuck in cookie-cutter story in 'Pride ... Feb 8, 2009
Missy Elliott, Block Party Mos Def, The Ecstatic Lily Allen, It s Not Me, It s You Ben Folds, Stems and Seeds Ben Lee, The Rebirth of Venus The Lonely Island, Incredibad Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid. Sources. (Utica Observer Dispatch)
Period films: Cruise,Mortensengo backto WWII Feb 7, 2009
Knowles plays soul singer Etta James, Wright appears as bluesman Muddy Waters, Short is harmonica player Little Walter, Mos Def appears as Chuck Berry, and Cedric The Entertainer plays Willie Dixon. Worth seeing. (MSNBC -- Movies)
