'In Prison My Whole Life' Mos Def Interview Pt 1

[@semird615]

One of the rare artists with an opinion speaking his mind. Yasin is a real role model not just for the African Americans, but for all young men all over the world.

[@teamsleepnine]

mos def prolly the most intelligent rapper out there

[@nigelcooper7886]

facts, he's not one of them rappers that act like they smart but say dumb shit

[@miken767]

+teamsleepnine You serious? I think that title goes to Lil Wayne, sir.

[@lolaispure4296]

he may not be the most intelligent we don't really know but he is one of if not the most honnest

[@HDitzzDH]

Mos Def, Rakim, Guru and KRS are (y)

[@bluekav6909]

WATCH THE BILL MAHER SHOW WITH CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS/SALMAN RUSHDIE & HIMSELF..THEN TELL ME HE ISNT TALKING DUMB SHIT.??.HES A LAUGHABLE MORON & THICK AS FUCK

[@OneManCanStopTheMotorOfWorld]

Mos def mathematics when I remember hearing that a young touring musician and getting my mind blown. One of the greats

[@pureuncutlakers1010]

I didn't know Mos Def smoked. Mos Def is probably my favorite rapper/artist of all time. This cat is extremely artistic.

[@goodguyb]

mos def is a real hip hop artist, can freestyle has flow, has charisma. mos is a legend and is still getting better with age. my top 3. 1.) Nas, 2.) Mos Def. 3.) AZ

[@cc8014]

i love and respect yasiin for always beein that honest and open in all his Interviews

[@hrdstyldncngisbst]

TBH his interview style is great, he doesnt butt in on his sentences hes just being part of the convesation, and Mos was interacting back with that. This is a great way to let us as the viewer and fans to step even more into the mind and opinions of Mos

[@Switcharoo12]

Mos Def and guys like him are the reason I like rap, none of these kids now a days. Try and get an interview like this with lil wayne or whoever ...not gonna happen. Def knows his stuff man .

[@JenniferJenkinskpopkolorado]

I love seeing this again now with everything that has happened since this interview - like the Occupy movements are showing how pervasive that automatic suppression response is in the police force. Yasiin has so much knowledge and love to give...can't wait to see him in another few years!

[@FunkeeMawnkee]

I love mos def faveorite rapper, Hip hop needs you bro please make more music!

[@MrWtfthatsgay]

I love this man so much, he's intelligent, caring and loving. And me being a huge hip hop head, well music head in general and new to the Islam world, it makes me happy that someone thats such an icon can be proud to take in his religion and be proud of his beliefs! :)

[@robinmead5826]

Geez, I love what Mos Def is saying, so true! Absolutely to the bone.

[@hurryupslowdown1845]

Mos is quite informed.. For me, there will be nothing like the good ol' days when Rawkus was killin the underground scene of hiphop(LyricistLounge I & II and also SoundBombing I, II & III.. Getting to see (BlackStar)Mos, Talib, Common(Sense) & Erykah Badu on stage together many times as a youngster was priceless and I will forever hold all the shows I got to see them rock on stage together & also separately very close to my heart..True musical/lyrical talent with a real message is eye-opening..

[@samyoberli]

Mos Def is so likable

[@terrellthompson9917]

Thank you Mos

[@gidgethrobowski3860]

Love you, Mos Def...

[@freedomland11]

@seandog619 I understood you both, once again Thanx for clearing it all up!! One Love

[@raveskot]

That was raw. Someone who actually complimented someone else on KZbin, and wanted to further discuss an issue. Not to mention both of you understanding the true issue here. FUCK, there is good folks out there.

[@MaxForrest]

mos is the real deal

[@gdtimi]

Intelligent brother. Much respect to him

[@Benzetha]

Very well put my brother. I second that motion.

[@Navaura]

My brother is a Muslim and I am a Christian and despite our different religions i still love him. We are both trying to find our way to God and he will judge us according to what's in our hearts. This I know with a hundred percent certainty. The more we know and understand, the more responsible we will be held on that day of judgment.

[@ilikevines]

speaks like a proper intellectual

[@TeaLeaf222]

I dont know if he is on anything but he has always spoken like that and honestly i would rather him take pause to think about what he is going to say than have him using words that he doesnt know how to correctly use :) every man has his flaws none of us can sit from the judges bench

[@inthemakebelieve218]

what i have recently noticed is many people are so complacent with the system we live in today they do not pursue ways to break out of it. no matter how corrupt or secretive. knowing that i must change my approach. it is too optimistic to expect people to hop on board and overthrow such an untouchable organization. its bullshit to think this is living. all we can do is pass on positive messages to younger generations. we are destroying ourselves. not that we are superior but capable of greater

[@crisleroi299]

Mos is one of the realest.

[@mogofraligato]

mos doesn't seem to mind, seems like he's taking part in the conversation...

[@MrRealTlkz]

as much as i enjoy the comforts of supermarkets.. the internet... second cup.. modern medicine i wish to live to see the day where this system collapses and humanity is forced to start living WITH the planet instead of ON it.. i'm in university right now because i need to be part of the system to provide a life for my future family.... but i think people were "happier" when they grew and hunted for their own food with their own hands.. like the rest of the species on the planet

[@jacobestes]

It would be cool if Mos Def could just talk without the "interviewer" making noise the whole time.

[@MrWtfthatsgay]

while also still killing the rap game and at the same time, standing up for whats he believes in/whats right.

[@dicesaramaral]

..he is GREAT!!..i always thought about his rappin perfomance perfect,jus that!!!

[@cocoagirl6693]

Mos Def I love you you rock You express the way It really is right on brother keep up givin them a taste of the real world .

[@solidblood]

mighty mos spits truth

[@kkeruak]

one of the most non ordinary artist

[@crayyawn]

@JohnDough1989 i think youre right, there should be both, all kinds of different artists and subject matters covered. but i think peoples frustration, or at least my frustration with those artists is that they get all the coverage and hype and support when the other sides of hip hop get none. Thats just frustrating. But what can you do.. Its rich people trying to give the kids what they want to hear. and rappers trying to give the rich guys what they know they want to hear.

[@TheGreekSteek]

Wow, that reality you live in is so different to me, I guess I take the comfort here for granted. And is it like that in every ex. industrial city / modern-day urban-projects?

[@RICHARDcGABRIEL]

i love the video ..i love the fact that im the first person to say i love the video ..at least to write it . :D

[@inthemakebelieve218]

that's all there is to it brother however many narrow minded people will not understand that truth of life. the mind can only be one of two things: a powerful asset or a waste of time. the point i want many young people to see is that it is never too late to change and break away from the "normal" crowd

[@cgm718]

Mozart, what's the difference if the interview was done in a impoverished home or a 5 star hotel? I also take offense to "your people" comment. Let's me know right off the bat who and what you are. He has a point though, not a liberal supporter or conservative supporter. I am a human supporter. Poverty comes in all races. so he's correct and it doesn't always mean umm, money. Rather a condition. As much as we pay in taxes, trust me we don't even know the dollar amount, but TRILLIONS of dollars goes to the Dept. of Defense annually. No, we all shouldn't have 3000 sq, ft. homes, but have you ever seen those neighborhoods in New Orleans, Baltimore, and North Philadelphia? No one and I mean no one should live in a rat infested environment.Mozart, do you know the status of the Native American? I can tell you that it's not good. So before you open your FOOLISH TRAP, you best think about how this country's bloody and savage history. As long as there are Diasporas living, working here in the Americas and I mean South America as well as the Caribbeans and Haiti, we can say what the hell we want to, because the bottom line is that to this day, no reparations has been paid for hundreds of years of free labor and the cruel and inhumane treatment that still exist. I'm no sit on your ass waiting for opportunities to come either, I am a 20 year veteran in the USN (ret.) So save all that bullshit you speak of, he can choose to speak of skin color in this country until the cows come home. You gotta be kidding me Mozart, but then again by your comment, I can see who you are and your sentiments.

[@cinepost]

You can fix the aspect ratio of this video to 16:9 by putting the following script in your tags area ..... yt:stretch=16:9 if you cut and paste it, you video will look right! Enjoy.

[@SillyBuddy1]

That's true we need to fix ourself before we fix whats around us.

[@paulalexanderjohnson]

All These rappers are so intelligent. Another example ... KRS1 !!! They speak the truth!

[@inthemakebelieve218]

there are way too many individuals who do not understand that humans are an organism meant to be self sufficient. you are absolutely right you fuckin genius no sarcasm. what do you recommend should be done about the system we seem to be stuck in today? inbox me please i could not be more sincere with my concerns.

[@masuphamakhube3553]

I thought Ive heard the voice before. He actually sounds like gangsterlicious!

[@Sheltwon]

your opinions will not stop me and your words mean nothing God bless

[@MrMustacrackish]

I work in a prison. Across the street from the prison is a social security office. On the 1st of the month welfare checks come in so the commissary office is crazy busy. It's a little tough to see someone already getting shelter, rent, food, and clothing on the tax payers dime get more than a week of my pay dropped on their books so they can buy televisions, chips and candy bars also on the tax payers dime. Poverty in this country is different than poverty in other countries.

[@jayteetv74]

Poverty goes away when Greed goes away. Greed has ruled a short while but it seems to me that it has ruled long enough. A thousand and something years aint long at all.

[@BadWolve]

@freedomland11 I believe you missed his point entirely sir

[@davidchilds3966]

He Is My Favorite Rapper

[@RandomBoxingGuy]

Mos Def/Talib Kweli "Blackstar" need to do a Mixtape with Lupe

[@Motionedout]

@JunnyICurosi There is real poverty in the US, though. It may not be as drastic as Africa, but it is enough to keep many in desperation. Mos Def's points are valid, to me. Black people have lived in the country for so long and remain disproportionately in poverty....now it's not impossible to get out (as you've said), but part of the difficulty is getting out from a legacy of exclusion, developing a mindset blacks and whites here have learned to the point of instinct.

[@WarYaaWarrior]

Real recognizes real

[@ParadoxAssassin]

He goes by Yasiin Bey now, so look for that instead of his former name of Mos Def.

[@coopadupa]

He is smashed!!!!!

[@LandoGamez8]

Real talk yo!

[@nithorium]

@4r4biq i love you for saying that. I'm not even a big hip hop fan but Mos Def is the TRUTH

[@Elpatch]

mos shouldnt have gotten baked.. he lost his steam and precision...

[@tonystarks631]

waz that the same award show with taylor swift and kanye incident can any one let me kno

[@xDraZtiCx]

@Lucanio rofl? If its not a genre of music then wtf do u suggest?

[@JParkerAdair]

I wish I could watch this film, but Brightwide is not accepting new viewers. Still in beta testing 17 months after posting this? There has to be another outlet for this. I like what you are trying to do, but these things make it really difficult on the filmmakers.

[@leimanheke1045]

someone tell me about mos wanna get into his music but dont know who and where he is.

[@EliasJackson]

Black on both sides is a masterpiece from start to finish, listen to that one first then go to his most popular hits from other albums

[@sYthyy]

i think having the mindstate of others having it much worse than you is great, so that you can actually try to fix your problems because you most lightly can. but theres others out there who cant do shit.

[@MRVOCALZ]

(Helpful hint)...When interviewing the Celebrity let THEM speak. DON'T finish The sentences for them. You cut yourself short. You may miss a tidbit of great info.

[@waleedrahman1539]

Admirable, yet we have these sell-outs who teach things like "get rich of die trying." I can remember when Sista Souljah sold 40K records trying to galvanize us from our sleep: Deep profound arguments. But it went no where. You know what sold millions that year: 2 live crew's "Pop that Coochi." We are so lost as a people...

[@JohnDough1989]

At the end of the day... music is all entertainment. Its not politics people. I love Mos' music.. but i hate when people down rappers such as Drake Or Lil Wayne. Mos Def just so happened to write about current events in his music. That doesn't mean everyone should.

[@simoncarlsson598]

Hahaha! Damn he's baked. Mighty Mos Def!

[@MischiefMaker37]

he kinda sounds like marlon brando no insult

[@killalangdon]

If you sell drugs (Most people here do even drug addicts) its like that but if you're just a regular guy (not many of them stay in Baltimore) no one will really fuck with you in other words u wont die unless someone is trying to rob u and u wont give them what they want it happens to alot of ppl with nice things but if you're raised around it u know what to say and how to act if not stay in the house (alot of ppl do).

[@tsyu7]

@Motionedout I think it's is just as drastic, just not as widespread.

[@jeremiahclivestone3852]

That's a joint LMAO mos def so real he wouldnt even mention it either.

[@tperryvt]

I want that water bottle... and those chairs.

[@Kudagraz]

The day may come, but why in destruction? Why not build it now, a way of life, beneath the system, inside it, quietly. That's where we start.

[@TheGreekSteek]

Im from Sweden and the only knowledge I have of Baltimore is from the screen version by "The Wire". Is it that horrible in reality or have they exaggerate a bit?

[@SLRTJS]

kinda crushed my heart when I saw that cig in his hand v___v

[@bobsaratoga4457]

Let the guy have a cig. He’s a grown ass man.

[@mcnesta80]

@deephousecompany Poverty is relative.....but....when they say that half the world lives on less than a dollar a day, they're talking about purchasing parity. They may be on 10 cents a day, but if 10 cents buys in their country what a dollar does in the USA, that's counted as a dollar. At the same time, there's a huge injustice having so many working poor in a rich country. I just thought we should get our facts right on relative poverty.

[@bonedogist]

i know this is completley off topic but,what kind of water is that!:O

[@freedomland11]

@Jalchemistgraham I understand now Now..thanx for clarifying Bro..!!

[@AlHajjMalik01]

Mos Def wasn't high. That's how he speaks. He THINKS before he opens his mouth. He's Muslim...we don't do drugs or drink. Peace be upon you. :)

[@Shucksofficial]

not tryna be rude at all, cause i love the guy but why does he talk slow like that? or is that an accent?

[@ProudAmerican111]

+shucks he's deep in thought as he's talking

[@lolaispure4296]

+da sweepa lol

[@lolaispure4296]

+da sweepa Mo's be high as fuck!!! don't mean he ain't speaking truth though

[@lenurban]

He actually thinks before he speaks.

[@analisetrite135]

Right here 5:30 to see the Mighty Mos Def deep in thought

[@RetroSpectr3]

Yeah the whole "people have it worse" argument is cripplingly flawed, a cursory look makes that clear. There are always people out there that have it worse than you do, but that doesn't make your injustices any less wrong.

[@billracks575]

how has science proved how we came into existence? Show me Scientist, get your proof pad out and write it for me.

[@earthhuman192]

no

[@earthhuman192]

you dont deserve it, with your close minded attitude and all, even if the proof were to slap you, youd still disregard, just like 99% of all other religious people.

[@oms7963]

+Franky Split lol do you understand the irony in your comment with that ludicrous "99%" you daft fuck

[@rock00dom]

+Bill Racks Well people like you are generally conceived as a bad joke. The punchline is still pending, though. I don't have to do your research for you. There's this revolutionary way to carry information called "books". Get yourself acquainted with them.

[@lolaispure4296]

+Franky Split science IS a religion dummie

[@archer4108]

i'm a little dissapointed this whole interview does not have as many hits as i think it should........

[@StateofMindJscj]

@freedomland11 You interpreted his saying incorrectly, wording is everything. You do not have to go to Africa to see poverty, it is everywhere. Many places are worse then others, for instance Africa is far worse then many other places, yet it doesnt mean it doesnt exist in other places.

[@sonnyismylovex3]

@freedomland11 im going to have to disagree with you. there are ppl living in tents and dug up holes in the ground in America down south i dont think he was trying to be offensive i think he was trying to make a point that america is not what people think it is and the problems here are ignored by putting heavier light on other countries. media does a good job of taking away attention about the probs. in america. just my opinion.

[@Jonas11111111111]

1:25 whats he doing???

[@SAsoulmelody]

i really understand you, but maybe i didn't react right on my previous posti i thought the ''question was'' did he was smoking a joint in the interview, so i said i don't think he would even if he smoke weed private, he wouldn't smoke it in public cause he know that for some people he is a roll model and a lot of people like him because he is a muslim and he knows that verry well , so i dont think he would disapoint those people by smoking weed on tv or being a bad model for kids peace with you

[@LAMBDAlogo]

i agree 100%

[@LyricalKnight1]

Nobody said cops weren't worse in third world countries. However, Mos Def has a legitimate complaint. Historically speaking, American police are known to commit crimes, break laws, and get off. I grew up in Philly in the 80s and I never trusted a cop. Yes, if you're a minority in America, you have a right to complain about the police because too many of them just don't give a fuck. If you think Mos Def is hard on the police, don't listen to KRS-One or Immortal Technique. They'll blow your mind.

[@rock00dom]

I really respect Mos Def for his artistry, but I find it hard to agree with most of what he says.

[@nigelmiller5609]

Its like you've never listened to mos def HE IS A CONSCIOUS POLITICAL RAPPER.

[@deephousecompany]

@freedomland11 there is poverty all over the world. It's just relative. Living off $100 a week in the USA is the same as living off $10 a week in Africa. There is poverty in the US, homeless people living under bridges, young mothers on welfare trying to raise several children. You can either ignore that fact, as you have, or acknowledge it and understand it as Mos Def did....

[@jakers818833]

Mos is just making words up??

[@TheHaitianSensation87]

I hate when people pull this type of shit where you can't complain about anything bad in your life because somewhere out there, theres a little blind and deaf orphan girl with one leg who just learned she has a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. Honestly, just because life is worse out there doesn't mean we have to tolerate the injustice in our own fkin back yard

[@nestemata]

Mos Def is baked.

[@davidchilds3966]

Mos Def Is The Best Rapper

[@SAsoulmelody]

yeah they are a lot of people saying they belong to a religion, and and the same time don't live they religion in practice ( sry for my english, i'm trying :)) But Mos Def is inteligent enought to know, even if he smoke weed, that he shouldn't do that in public after he aknowledged people that he is a muslim, He thinks before he speaks, so i think he is not that arrogant and stupid to act before thinking about hes action,cause when he is doing wrong it's not the same when we doing wrong,jst syn

[@crispyballz]

i would so make a bong with that water bottle

[@amonmadkind3484]

I just keep seeing gangstalicious now lmao

[@JadorrionChimurenga]

I agree with what you said except for reading the bible. Seriously religion shouldn't be forced on anyone.

[@pauseandreset]

its only like %2 of officers that pull that shit and yet they make %90 of the news. making a bad name for the rest of them. they need to be fired.