Yasiin Bey | |
|---|---|
 Yasiin Bey performing at the 2012Ilosaarirock festival | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Dante Terrell Smith (1973-12-11)December 11, 1973 (age 51) Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Black Star |
| Formerly of | |
| Children | 6, includingLaila |
| Signature | |
 | |
Yasiin Bey (/jæˈsiːnˈbeɪ/yass-EENBAY; bornDante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known asMos Def (/ˌmoʊsˈdɛf/MOHSSDEF), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure inconscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such aspolice brutality,American exceptionalism, and the status ofAfrican Americans in the United States.
After embarking on his career in 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-livedrap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) and guest appeared on albums byDa Bush Babees andDe La Soul. In 1996, he and fellowBrooklyn-based rapperTalib Kweli formed the duoBlack Star, whose debut albumMos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998) spawned the singles "Definition" and "Respiration" (featuringCommon). His debut solo album,Black on Both Sides (1999) was met with critical acclaim, along with his fourth albumThe Ecstatic (2009).[4] Bey's 2000 single, "Oh No" (withPharoahe Monch featuringNate Dogg) remains his sole entry on theBillboard Hot 100 as a solo act.[5] In 2014,About.com listed him 14th on its "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time".[6]
A former child actor in television films, sitcoms, and theater, Bey has appeared in the filmsSomething the Lord Made,Next Day Air,The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,16 Blocks,Be Kind Rewind,The Italian Job,The Woodsman,Bamboozled, andBrown Sugar and in television series such asDexter andHouse.[7] He hostedDef Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007.
Yasiin Bey was born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973, inBrooklyn, New York City,[8] the son of Sheron Smith and Abdulrahman Smith.[9] The eldest of 12 children and step-children, he was raised by his mother in Brooklyn, while his father lived inNew Jersey.[10]
His father was initially a member of theNation of Islam and later followed ImamWarith Deen Mohammed, who merged into the mainstreamSunni Islam from the Nation of Islam. Bey was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13. He is close friends with fellowMuslim hip-hop artistsAli Shaheed Muhammad andQ-Tip.[9]
Bey attended middle school atPhilippa Schuyler Middle School inBushwick, Brooklyn, where he developed his love for acting.[10][11] After returning from filmingYou Take the Kids in Los Angeles, and getting into a relationship with an older girl, Bey dropped out of high school during sophomore year.[10] Growing up inNew York City, during thecrack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s, he has spoken about witnessing widespread instances of gang violence, theft, and poverty, which he largely avoided by working on plays,Off-Off-Broadway and arts programs.[11] In a particularly traumatic childhood experience, Bey witnessed his then five-year-old younger brother, Ilias Bey (born Denard Smith), get hit by a car. Ilias later adopted the alias DCQ and was described by Bey as "my first partner in hip hop".[11]
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Bey began his music career in 1994, forming the group UTD (or Urban Thermo Dynamics) along with younger brother DCQ and high-school friend Ces.[12] In 2004, they released the albumManifest Destiny, their first and only release to date. The album features a compilation of previously unreleased and re-released tracks recorded during the original UTD run.[13]
In 1996, Bey emerged as a solo artist and worked withDe La Soul andDa Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic" in 1997.[14][15]
Bey signed withRawkus Records and formed the rap groupBlack Star withTalib Kweli.[16] The duo released an album,Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, in 1998.[17] Mostlyproduced byHi-Tek, the album featured the singles "Respiration" and "Definition", which both reached in the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[18]
Bey released his solo debut albumBlack on Both Sides in October 1999, also through Rawkus.[19][20] The single "Ms. Fat Booty" charted,[18] while the album reached No. 25 on the Billboard 200.[21] Around this time, he also contributed to theScritti Politti albumAnomie & Bonhomie.[22][23]
In January 2002, Rawkus Records was taken over byGeffen Records,[24] which released his second solo albumThe New Danger in October 2004.[25] It included contributions byShuggie Otis andBernie Worrell,Doug Wimbish, andWill Calhoun as the Black Jack Johnson Band.[26] The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, making it the most successful for the artist to date.[21] The single "Sex, Love & Money" charted,[18] and was nominated for aGrammy Award.[27] Bey's final solo album forGeffen Records, titledTrue Magic, was released in 2006.[28]
On November 7, 2007, Bey performed live in San Francisco at The Mezzanine venue. The performance was recorded for an upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During the event, he announced that he would be releasing a new album to be calledThe Ecstatic.[29] He performed a number of new tracks; in later shows, he previewed tracks produced byMadlib and was rumored to be going toKanye West for new material. Producer and fellowDef Poet Al Be Back revealed he would be producing on the album as well.[30] The album was released on June 9, 2009; but only Madlib's production had made the cut, along with tracks by Preservation,The Neptunes,Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No,J. Dilla, andGeorgia Anne Muldrow.
Bey appears alongside Kanye West on the track "Two Words" fromThe College Dropout album, the track "Drunk and Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third major album,Graduation. In 2002, he released the 12" singleFine, which was produced by West and featured on theBrown Sugar soundtrack.[31]
In 2007, Bey appeared onStephen Marley's debut albumMind Control on the song "Hey Baby". He also appeared on the debut album fromApollo Heights on a track titled "Concern". That October, he signed a deal withDowntown Records and appeared on a remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice.[32]
In April 2008, he appeared on the title track for a new album byThe Roots titledRising Down. The single, "Life In Marvelous Times", was made officially available throughiTunes on November 4, 2008, and was also available forstream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.
In 2009, he worked with Somali-Canadian rapperK'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's albumTroubadour.[33]
In April 2009, Bey traveled to South Africa for the first time, and performed with TheRobert Glasper Experiment at the renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He treated the South African audience with an encore, introduced by his own rendition ofJohn Coltrane'sA Love Supreme, followed by a sneak preview of the track "M.D. (Doctor)".[34]
Bey has designed two pairs of limited editionConverse shoes. The shoes were released throughFoot Locker stores on August 1, 2009, in limited amounts.[35]
In late 2009, he created his own clothing line with the "UNDRCRWN" brand called the "Mos Def Cut & Sew Collection". The items were released in select U.S. stores and almost exclusively on the UNDRCRWN website.[36] That year, he was among the MCs aligned with American entrepreneurDamon Dash'sDD172 and collaborating with American blues rock bandthe Black Keys on theBlakroc album, a project headed by the Black Keys and Damon Dash.[37] Bey appeared with Harlem-bred rapperJim Jones and the Black Keys onthe Late Show with David Letterman to perform theBlakroc track "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".
In 2010, Bey featured on the first single, "Stylo", from the thirdGorillaz album,Plastic Beach, alongside soul legendBobby Womack. He also appeared on the track titled "Sweepstakes". In March 2010, Bey's song "Quiet Dog Bite Hard" was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.[38]
In September 2010, after appearing on Kanye West'sG.O.O.D. Friday track "Lord Lord Lord", Bey confirmed he had signed withGOOD Music.[39] Bey has been an active contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards repairing its damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally bySmokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with thePreservation Hall Jazz Band,Lenny Kravitz andTrombone Shorty.
In September 2011, the rapper announced that he legally changed his name to Yasiin Bey and would go by that name, retiring his Mos Def moniker (short for "Most Definitely").[40][41][42] Bey told a reporter "I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I’ve been going by Yasiin since ’99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly."[43] Bey also stated "Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years, it's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment, and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name. ...it's time to expand and move on."[44] Yasiin is a name in the Qur'an's 36th surah and was important to the rapper who converted to Islam in his teens. Bey said the name change would eliminate "having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as."[44]
Shortly after the name change announcement, Bey recorded as the narrator of the children's hip hop musical,Pacha's Pajamas: A Story Written By Nature.
In January 2012, it was reported that Bey andTalib Kweli had begun "to resurrect"Black Star.[45] In 2015, Bey was featured onA$AP Rocky's second studio albumAt. Long. Last. ASAP, on the track "Back Home", alongside Acyde and the deceased A$AP Yams.[46] Bey again revived his Mos Def moniker for two new songs in August 2015, titled "Basquiat Ghostwriter" and "Sensei on the Block".[47][48]
On January 19, 2016, Bey announced his retirement from both the music and film industries on Kanye West's website: "I'm retiring from the music recording industry as it is currently assembled today, and alsoHollywood, effective immediately. I'm releasing my final album this year, and that's that."[49] After announcing his retirement, he expressed gratitude to everyone who has supported him over the years and revealed his intention to enter thefashion industry and complete a handful of films.[50] Bey also confirmed he still planned to release a collaborative project withFerrari Sheppard calledDec 99th.[50]
In October 2016, a planned concert in London was cancelled at the last minute;[51] other European dates suffered the same fate.[52] On October 14, Bey posted a video to Facebook where he announced that he was still planning to retire: "I'm retiring for real this year, this week. With the 17th anniversary ofBlack on Both Sides being released, I am grateful to have had the career that I have been able to enjoy."[53][54] He also announced one last concert which he said he would be live streaming from Cape Town, South Africa.[55] In November 2016, he was granted the ability to leave but not reenter South Africa and was put on "South Africa's 'undesirable persons' list". He said he would perform one show in Harlem and three in Washington, D.C. after leaving South Africa. He announced that Dec 99th, his final album, would be released on December 9. He released three singles from it, "Local Time", "N.A.W." and "Seaside Panic Room".[56] On December 5, 2016, he announced the title of two albums,Negus in Natural Person andAs Promised, the latter of which is a collaboration withSouthern hip hop producerMannie Fresh, initially titledOMFGOD.[57] In 2017, his claims of retirement were seen as questionable as he played shows on September 13, at theFox Theater in Oakland as part of Black Star and performed on Gorillaz'Humanz World Tour, performing "Stylo" with Peven Everett, who filled in for Bobby Womack, who died in 2014. He also has yet to release or announce a release date for the last two albums of his career.[58][59]
In February 2018, Bey announced, on stage, a new Black Star studio album, produced byMadlib, would be released in 2018. However, no specific release date was made available. Later on that year, Bey appeared on thetitular track ofKids See Ghosts, the collaborative effort of Kanye West andKid Cudi. In March 2019, he debuted his album,ንጉሥ (pronounced Negus) at a listening session as part of Art Basel Hong Kong. In a press release, he said that the album "will continue to unfold as a series of varied installations around the world". He has no plans of releasing the album digitally or physically.[60]
On June 28, 2019, Bey appeared onBandana, an album byFreddie Gibbs and Madlib, alongsideBlack Thought, on a track named "Education". In November 2019, he stated that unreleased music, such as his collaborative album with Mannie Fresh, was still "on deck" for release.[61] In 2021, he launched "The Midnight Miracle" podcast onLuminary, along withDave Chappelle and Talib Kweli.[62] In April 2022, a release date for the long-awaited Black Star project was officially announced. The album titledNo Fear of Time was released via Luminary on May 3, 2022.[63]
Prior to his career in music, Bey entered public life as a child actor, having played roles intelevision movies,sitcoms andtheater, some of which were under the name Dante Beze.[64][65] At the age of 14, he appeared in the TV movieGod Bless the Child, starringMare Winningham, which aired on ABC in 1988.[66] He played the oldest child in the 1990 family sitcomYou Take the Kids, shortly before it was cancelled. In 1995, he played the character Dante,Bill Cosby's sidekick on the short-lived detective showThe Cosby Mysteries. In 1996, he starred in aVisa check card commercial featuringDeion Sanders. He also had a small role alongsideMichael Jackson in his short film and music videoGhosts (1996).
After brief appearances inBamboozled andMonster's Ball, Bey played a rapper who is reluctant to sign with a major label inBrown Sugar. He was nominated for anImage Award and aTeen Choice Award.[67]
In 2001, he took a supporting role toBeyoncé Knowles andMehki Phifer in theMTV movieCarmen: A Hip Hopera as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.
In 2002, he played the role of Booth inSuzan-Lori Parks'Topdog/Underdog, aTony-nominated andPulitzer-winningBroadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance.[68] He played Left Ear in the 2003 filmThe Italian Job. That same year, he appeared in theAlicia Keys music videoYou Don't Know My Name.
In television, Bey has appeared onNYPD Blue,[69]Comedy Central'sChappelle's Show, and hosted the award-winningHBOspoken word showDef Poetry.[70] He also appeared on the sitcomMy Wife and Kids as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).
Bey won "Best Actor, Independent Movie" at the 2005Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas inThe Woodsman. For his portrayal ofVivien Thomas inHBO's filmSomething the Lord Made, he was nominated for anEmmy[71] and aGolden Globe, and won theImage Award. He also played a bandleader in HBO'sLackawanna Blues. He then landed the role ofFord Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
In 2006, Bey appeared inDave Chappelle's Block Party alongsideBlack Star partnerTalib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. He was also featured as thebanjo player in the Pixie Sketch" fromChappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes, though his appearance was edited out of the DVD. He starred in the action film16 Blocks alongsideBruce Willis andDavid Morse. He also landed a recurring guest role onBoondocks, starring as Gangstalicious. He is set to be inToussaint, a film aboutHaitian revolutionaryToussaint Louverture, oppositeDon Cheadle andWesley Snipes.[72] He made a cameo appearance as himself in the movieTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In 2007, Bey narrated the PBS-broadcast documentaryPrince Among Slaves.
In 2008, Bey starred in theMichel Gondry movieBe Kind Rewind, playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-starJack Black. He also portrayedChuck Berry in the filmCadillac Records, for which he was nominated for aBlack Reel Award and anImage Award.
In 2009, he appeared in theHouse episode titled "Locked In" as a patient suffering fromlocked-in syndrome. His performance was well received, withE! saying that Mos Def "delivers anEmmy-worthy performance".[73] He was also in the 2009 filmNext Day Air.
In 2010, he appeared on the children's showYo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero. He also appeared inA Free Man of Color,John Guare's play at theVivian Beaumont Theatre.[74]
In 2011, he began a multi-episode appearance on the sixth season ofShowtime television seriesDexter. He played Brother Sam, an ex-convict who has supposedly found religion despite finding himself in violent situations.[75]
In January 2016, Bey announced his retirement from the music and the film industries on Kanye West's website. In March 2016, it was announced that he had been attached to star in "his last live-action film",The Disconnected, ascience fiction thriller dealing with policing, identity, and the intersection of technology and humanity.[76]
In 2000, paired withTalib Kweli, Bey organized theHip Hop for Respect project to speak out against police brutality. It was created in response to the 1999 policeshooting of Amadou Diallo, and sought to accumulate 41 artists to the roster, one to match each of the 41 gunshots fired on Diallo.
Bey is well known for hisleftist activism.[77] In 2000, he performed a benefit concert for death row inmateMumia Abu-Jamal.[78] In May 2005, Bey, Talib Kweli, R&B singer Martin Luther and City CouncilmanCharles Barron approached New York City Hall, demanding the withdrawal of the $1 million bounty forAssata Shakur.[79]
In September 2005, Bey released the single "Katrina Clap", renamed "Dollar Day" forTrue Magic (utilizing the instrumental forNew Orleans rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap"). The song is acriticism of theBush administration's response toHurricane Katrina. On the night of theMTV Video Music Awards, Bey pulled up in front ofRadio City Music Hall on a flatbed truck and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front of a crowd that quickly gathered around him. He was subsequently arrested for not having a public performance permit in his possession.[80][81]
In October 2006, Bey appeared on4Real, a documentary television series.[82] Appearing in the episode "City of God", he and the 4Real crew traveled toCity of God, afavela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MCMV Bill and learn about the crime and social problems of the community.[83]
On September 7, 2007, Bey appeared onReal Time with Bill Maher where he spoke aboutracism againstAfrican Americans, citing thegovernment response to Hurricane Katrina, theJena Six case, and the murder conviction ofMumia Abu-Jamal. He appeared onReal Time again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk ofnuclear weapons.[84]
In September 2011, Bey joined the cast of the environmental children's hip hop musicalPacha's Pajamas: A Story Written By Nature as narrator. In July 2013, he appeared in a short film released by the human rights organizationReprieve, depicting theforced-feeding methods used at theGuantanamo Bay detention camps. This transpired after a document containing the military instructions for the procedure was leaked.[85][86][87]
In September 2018, Bey and advertising executive Free Richardson opened an art exhibition to the public in an art gallery in the South Bronx, called the Compound, centered around hip-hop and fine art. The goal of this gallery was to help bridge the gap between the two fields, by showcasing artists from marginalized backgrounds who normally would not be represented in art galleries. Art forms with negative connotations, such as graffiti, as presented in a more optimal context. "The purpose of the gallery is to say all art is equal," Richardson said. "But we are in the borough that created hip-hop, which is the biggest art form in the world, so it's always an extending arm. It's always present."[88]
Bey has been a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause.[89]
About.com ranked Bey No. 14 on its list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time,[6] andThe Source ranked him No. 23 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[90]AllMusic called him one of the most promising rappers to emerge in the late 1990s,[91] and one of hip-hop's brightest hopes entering the 21st century.[19] Bey has influenced numerous hip hop artists throughout his career, includingLupe Fiasco,Jay Electronica,Kid Cudi, andSaigon, andLogic.[92][93][94]Kendrick Lamar once mentioned Bey as a very early inspiration as a young rapper, though Lamar denied being a part of the conscious rap movement.[95] He has also directly influenced artists outside of hip-hop, including English singer-songwritersAdele andAmy Winehouse.[96][97]
Bey married Maria Yepes in 1996. He filed for divorce from her in 2006.[98] She took him to court over failure in child-support obligations, paying $2,000 short of the monthly $10,000 he had been ordered to pay for their two daughters.[99][100] He has four other children, including R&B singer and record producerLaila Smith, best known as Laila!
Bey's mother, Sheron Smith, managed part of her son's career.[101] She was a motivational speaker and authored the bookShine Your Light: A Life Skills Workbook, where she details her experience as a single mother raising him.[102] Smith died in 2023.[103]
In January 2016, Bey was ordered to leave South Africa and not return for five years, having stayed in the country illegally on an expired tourist visa granted in May 2013.[104] That month, he was charged with using an unrecognizedWorld Passport and having lived illegally in South Africa since 2014.[105][106] He had reportedly recruitedKanye West to help defend him, and posted a message on West's website announcing his retirement from show business.[107][108] There was a court case in relation to immigration offenses involving him and his family.[109][110] He was allowed to leave South Africa on November 22, 2016, but was barred from coming back.[111]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | God Bless the Child | Richard Watkins | Television film |
| 1990 | You Take the Kids | Raymond Kirkland | 6 episodes |
| 1991 | The Hard Way | Dead Romeos | |
| 1996 | Michael Jackson's Ghosts | Dante | Short film |
| 1998 | Where's Marlowe? | Wilt Crawley | |
| 2000 | Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme | Himself | Documentary |
| 2000 | Bamboozled | Big Blak Afrika | |
| 2000 | Island of the Dead | Robbie J | |
| 2001 | Carmen: A Hip Hopera | Lieutenant Miller | Television film |
| 2001 | Monster's Ball | Ryrus Cooper | |
| 2002 | Showtime | Lazy Boy | |
| 2002 | Civil Brand | Michael Meadows | |
| 2002 | Brown Sugar | Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon | |
| 2002 | My Wife and Kids | Tommy | Episode: "Chair Man of the Board" |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | Left Ear | |
| 2004 | The Woodsman | Detective Lucas | |
| 2004 | Chappelle's Show | Black Delegate (s2e1) | Episode: Samuel Jackson Beer & Racial Draft |
| 2004 | Something the Lord Made | Vivien Thomas | Television film |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | The Bandleader | Television film |
| 2005- 2008 | The Boondocks | Gangstalicious | Voice role 3 episodes |
| 2005 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Ford Prefect | |
| 2006 | Dave Chappelle's Block Party | Himself | Documentary |
| 2006 | 16 Blocks | Eddie Bunker | |
| 2006 | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Himself | Cameo appearance |
| 2006 | Journey to the End of the Night | Wemba | |
| 2007 | Prince Among Slaves | Narrator | |
| 2008 | Be Kind Rewind | Mike | |
| 2008 | Cadillac Records | Chuck Berry | |
| 2009 | Next Day Air | Eric | |
| 2009 | House | Lee | Episode: "Locked In" |
| 2010 | I'm Still Here | Himself | |
| 2010 | Bouncing Cats | Himself | Documentary |
| 2010 | Yo Gabba Gabba! | Super Mr. Superhero | Episode: "Superhero" |
| 2011 | Dexter | Brother Sam | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Begin Again | Saul | |
| 2014 | Life of Crime | Ordell Robbie | |
| 2014 | The Getaway | Himself | Episode: "Yasiin Bey In Morocco" |
| 2015 | Amy | Himself | Documentary |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Best Actor | Brown Sugar | Nominated | [114] |
| 2004 | The Italian Job | Nominated | [115] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | 16 Blocks | Nominated | [116] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Outstanding Actor, Independent Film | Civil Brand | Nominated | [117] |
| 2004 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | The Italian Job | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Outstanding Actor Independent Film | The Woodsman | Won | |
| Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Outstanding Actor | Be Kind Rewind | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor | Cadillac Records | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Actor – Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | [118] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Breakthrough Actor | The Woodsman | Nominated | [119] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Urban/Alternative Performance | "Sex, Love & Money" | Nominated | [120] |
| 2006 | "Ghetto Rock" | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Best Rap Solo Performance | "Undeniable" | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Album of the Year | Graduation(as featured artist) | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Best Rap Solo Performance | "Casa Bey" | Nominated | |
| Best Rap Album | The Ecstatic | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Best Short Form Music Video | "Stylo"(withGorillaz andBobby Womack) | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Best Hip Hop Act | — | Nominated | [121] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Brown Sugar | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | [122] |
| 2009 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Cadillac Records | Nominated | [123] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Dramatic Performance | Something the Lord Made | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | [124] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | [125] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Something the Lord Made | Nominated | [126] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Most Annoying Fake Accent – Male | 16 Blocks | Nominated | [127] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Choice Breakout Movie Actor | Brown Sugar | Nominated | [128] |
| 2005 | Choice Movie: Rap Artist | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Nominated | [129] |
