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Another rapper name change (mos def related)

mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
edited September 2011 in Strut Central
"By newsdesk@wenn.com (WENN Newsdesk)

Mos Def is retiring his famous name at the end of 2011.


RELATED: Celebs Who Changed Their Names


The rapper-actor will start 2012 under the moniker Yasiin.


He tells MTV2's "Sucker Free" show, "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 and it???s time to expand and move on."


RELATED: Mos & More Celeb Protesters


"Also, I didn???t want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as."


RELATED: Read More About Mos Def on MSN"

Who has ever pulled this off successfully...aside from Sean Combs?

  Comments

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Intelligent Hoodlum -> Tragedy Khadafi
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Big Baby Jesus is at least as awesome as Old Dirty Bastard.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Jay Z used to be Jay Zee.
  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    Muslim names usually sound more bad ass than Christian names (Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, etc...)
    Is Yasiin his Muslim name? I don't know, shit didn't really work out as well for Cat Stevens.
  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    The rumor (yes, I know about how silly rumors can be) is that he's been dating Ms. Badu, which would explain this change.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    mrmatthew said:


    Who has ever pulled this off successfully...aside from Sean Combs?

    Will Smith.
  • JRootJRoot 861 Posts
    Mos def a mistake to change his name to Yasiin.
  • Mongo_SladeMongo_Slade 999 Posts
    Herm said:
    The rumor (yes, I know about how silly rumors can be) is that he's been dating Ms. Badu, which would explain this change.

    Another rapper falling victim to the scourge of Baduizm. Can a blonde wig and shoulder pads be far off?

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Mos Def won't be able to blame Badu for ish. He's done been a clown.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Herm said:
    he's been dating Ms. Badu

    lmho
    Is there no one other than Badu to date in the rap world?

    If I may suggest a possible side project for in-between records and/or during babies five, six and seven - a crochet/denim/flannel quilt baby tote bag company!!
    These would be made from the scraps left-over from making newsboy caps of course.
    Re-use and recycle batches!
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Prince Rakeem - RZA
    Drake - Aubs
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    Bushwick Bill --> Dr. Wolfgang Von Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar Billstir
  • herbacios tweedherbacios tweed 445 Posts
    Oh, I see her face everywhere I go
    On the street, and even at the picture show
    Have Yasiin her?
    Tell me, have Yasiin her?
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Wasnt Scarface/Mr. Scarface known as Akshun earlier in his career?

    I always thought he was Akshun rapping about Scarface on that album and then fully switched to Scarface for his solo debut.

    Kinda like Tupac staying in the Bishop character afterwards..................
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    DJ Akshun even. And 2Pac was MC New York.
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    batmon said:
    Wasnt Scarface/Mr. Scarface known as Akshun earlier in his career?

    I always thought he was Akshun rapping about Scarface on that album and then fully switched to Scarface for his solo debut.

    As he tells it, he was called Akshun, but after the song "Scarface" broke, the Geto Boys went on tour, and in every city, people kept coming up to the group asking, "Which one of y'all is Scarface?" So he started going by Scarface.
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    jjfad027 said:
    dude kept many aliases but how many were official name changes?
  • speakmumblesspeakmumbles 447 Posts
    mos def isnt his real name so its not a legal name change. just another alias, until the next album does poorly. kamaal the abstract anyone?
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Mos Def won't be able to blame Badu for ish. He's done been a clown.

    What did he do/say that makes him a clown? Side note: I pay very little attention to the new music scene so I am barely up on beefs or new releases.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    jjfad027 said:
    dude kept many aliases but how many were official name changes?

    He never changed his shit. But dude might be the OG in having alternative names.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    DrWu said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Mos Def won't be able to blame Badu for ish. He's done been a clown.

    What did he do/say that makes him a clown? Side note: I pay very little attention to the new music scene so I am barely up on beefs or new releases.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    batmon said:
    But dude might be the OG in having alternative names.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    batmon said:
    DrWu said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Mos Def won't be able to blame Badu for ish. He's done been a clown.

    What did he do/say that makes him a clown? Side note: I pay very little attention to the new music scene so I am barely up on beefs or new releases.


    Dude might be a clown for many other reasons (i.e. "woyo woyoooo!"), but having fun and being silly on a fun and silly kid's show like Yo Gabba Gabba is not one of them.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Herm said:
    batmon said:
    But dude might be the OG in having alternative names.


    Exotron Gieger Counter One Plus Megatron........1989.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    batmon said:
    Herm said:
    batmon said:
    But dude might be the OG in having alternative names.


    Exotron Gieger Counter One Plus Megatron........1989.


    "Get outta here I hit your boat with a stick, get out of line...I'll call my homie Moby Dick."


    1988


    Just remember MC Blowfiiiiiiiish...



    Plus for the longest time Shock would never admit to being those other characters. LOTS of fools really thought Shock and Hump were two different people. People still think that to this day! The only alter ego he fooled me with was Piano Man. The story was that it was a well-known piano player that had to conceal his true identity due to contractual obligations with a different record label. Dude was willing to hide his own talent in order to maintain his trickery.


    Side note: Shock takes up the #1 and #2 spot on my Greatest Personal Hip Hop Moments Of My Lifetime. #1 is when he randomly walked into a bar I DJed at (in Tucson, AZ - when I say random I mean RANDOM) and played all his hits for us after hours on the unused piano that just sat their for looks and #2 is walking around an Old West theme park at my BFF's wedding a few years ago and him saying "I need a Wild West alias while I'm here. How about Big Buck Jenkins? Yeah, that'll work. They'll call me Double B. All I need is a belt buckle with two big ol' B's on it."
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