Chuck Berry Biography

Taking a cue from the Afrocentric stylings of the Native Tongues crew, which included De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and Andres Titus, Mos Def has emerged as one of the more conscientious voices of new school hip-hop, alongside the likes of Common, Outkast, Goodie Mob and The Roots, to name just a few. A lyricist lounge staple, he gained acclaim appearing on recordings by De La Soul and Bush Babees before releasing the single 'Universal Magnetic' in 1997. Since then he has appeared on numerous recordings with several crews, including Medina Green and Black Star (of which he is half). His full-length debut album, 'Black On Both Sides', was released in 1999 and is destined to achieve classic status.