Rapper-actor Mos Def will play legendary rock ‘n’ roller Chuck Berry in “Cadillac Records,” which is filming in New Jersey. Also joining the cast is Gabrielle Union, who will play Geneva Wade, a girlfriend of Muddy Waters.

The Sony BMG film is set in 1950s Chicago and follows the turbulent lives of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), and the label’s artists, including Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) and Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer). (more…)

Ann Arbor, MI - The ensemble that takes the stage Monday on Monday at Hill Auditorium is being billed as the Mos Def Big Band. The big question that hip-hop fans may have is about the “big band” moniker - which usually suggests something in a jazzy vein.

But hard-core Mos fans needn’t worry that this is going to be some hybrid of hip-hop and Count Basie. The “big band” appellation in this case is a reference to the fact that Mos will have a number of live musicians onstage, including horn players. That’s a departure from many hip-hop shows, which typically comprise just the rapper, a DJ and someone triggering computerized samples. (more…)

Students at dozens of campuses across the country walked out of classes October 1 in support of the Jena 6. The walk-out was organized by hip-hop artists Mos Def, M1 and Talib Kweli, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Change the Game, the National Hip Hop Political Convention and activists from 25 college campuses.

The anger at the plight of the six–and more generally at racism in communities across the U.S.–could be seen in the walkouts. (more…)

Artist/ Activist Mos Def along with M1, Talib Kweli, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Sankofa Community Empowerment, Change the Game, National Hip Hop Political Convention, Hip Hop Association, and student leaders from 50 campuses call for a National Student Walk-Out to rally and show support for the Jena 6, who are being denied their human rights by the Louisiana criminal justice system.

Mos Def is asking students worldwide to assist in the fight against racial injustice and show solidarity for these young people, who have been treated unequally by the law. The prosecution of these young men symbolizes a terrible miscarriage of justice, by punishing students who opposed segregation in their schools and disregarding the threatening acts of others who advocate it. (more…)

I came across an hour long hip-hop mix that everyone should listen to today!

Created by Davey D and Breakdown FM, “Hip-Hop Speaks Out: As We Remember 9-11″ gives hip-hop’s perspective of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with songs, speaches and interviews from hip-hop artists, activists and representatives.

Below is the track listing for “Hip-Hop Speaks Out.” Click the link to listen:
http://odeo.com/audio/16537983/view  (more…)

Now y’all know I love Mos Def and Cornel West. And personally, I think Bill Maher has the best show on television - though sadly not good enough to justify a $100+ monthly cable bill for the HBO package. Therefore, I was sad when I found out that West and Mos were slated to be on Bill Maher this week and I wouldn’t be able to view the broadcast.

Luckily, the cats at Rawkus were kind enough to record the show and throw it up on YouTube. Mos Def and Cornel West made some great points talking about the Jena 6 and the still-horrible state of New Orleans - both topics ignored by corporate-controlled media. They also talked a little bit about Barack Obama and the 2008 presidential primaries. Peep the broadcast below. (more…)

On Sunday, August 26th, 2007, at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, Hip Hop icons Mos Def and Talib Kweli return for their tenth year as headline performers at the 10th Annual celebration of the highly anticipated and politically charged benefit concert known around the world as Black August Hip Hop Project (“Black August”).

Black August, a project of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM)—a non-profit organization, strives to facilitate exchanges between international communities by promoting awareness about the social and political issues that affect young people in their communities. Every year, the concert raises money in support of political prisoners in the U.S. unjustly incarcerated for their efforts to end racial and economic oppression. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: January 31, 2007
  Website: Mos Def Website
  Label: Geffen

Mos Def “True Magic” Album Review
I used to be a WWF Wrestling fan. Go ahead, laugh it up. I don’t know why, but something about the beefing soap opera drama was funny to me. When they give their little speeches where they talk shit to whoever they’re beefing with at the time, they often put on great performances, and I always felt it was not that different from freestyle battle rapping. I used to like cats like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Booker T, mostly because they could control the mic well. But above all, the Rock was my motherfucking man dogg. (more…)

Mos Def is my man. Easily one of my top five MCs ever. So you can imagine how amped I was when I found out weeks ago that he was coming to Denver last Saturday, August 26.

Last time I had the opportunity to see Mos, it was last year when he was on tour with Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. Unfortunately, Mos came down with the flu and had to cancel his portion of the show. Therefore, I was excited to see what we had all missed the year before. (more…)