The Best Mos Def Movies

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Updated August 11, 2023 492 votes 189 voters
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Mos Def Movies
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List of the best Mos Def movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Mos Def's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Mos Def movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Mos Def movies will be at the top of the list. Mos Def has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Mos Def movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Mos Def films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Mos Def role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Mos Def performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Blow! DVD Magazine: Vol. 5: Pushin the Raw and Uncut and Carmen: A Hip Hopera are included on this list along with many more.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Mos Def movies?" and "What are the greatest Mos Def roles of all time?"

If you're a fan of Mos Def, then check out our lists of the best Dr. Dre and Common movies as well.

Most divisive: Alicia Keys: Unplugged
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  • Something the Lord Made
    1

    Something the Lord Made

    Alan Rickman, Yasiin Bey, Mary Stuart Masterson
    59 votes
    • Released: 2004
    • Directed by: Joseph Sargent
    Although Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), a black man in the 1930s, is originally hired as a janitor, he proves himself adept at assisting the "Blue Baby doctor," Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman), with his medical research. When Blalock insists that Thomas follow him to Johns Hopkins University, they must find a way to skirt a racist system to continue their study of infant heart disease. Thomas is indispensable to Blalock's progress, but Blalock is the only one who is allowed to receive the acclaim.

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  • Brown Sugar
    2

    Brown Sugar

    Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Yasiin Bey
    27 votes
    • Released: 2002
    • Directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
    Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) and Dre (Taye Diggs) can attribute their friendship and the launch of their careers to one single childhood instant ... witnessing the birth of hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, she is a revered music critic and he is a successful, though unfulfilled, music executive. Both come to realize that their true life passions will only be fulfilled by remembering what they learned that day on the corner.

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  • 16 Blocks
    3

    16 Blocks

    Bruce Willis, Yasiin Bey, David Morse
    34 votes
    • Released: 2006
    • Directed by: Richard Donner
    Boozy and world-weary, NYPD Detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) draws a routine assignment to transport trial witness Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to the courthouse by 10 a.m. The task quickly becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse when some of Jack's fellow officers arrive to kill Eddie so that he cannot testify against them. Jack sees a way to redeem his wasted life by protecting the affable Eddie from the would-be assassins.

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  • The Italian Job
    4

    The Italian Job

    Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Ed Norton
    34 votes
    • Released: 2003
    • Directed by: F. Gary Gray
    In The Italian Job, Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) leads a team of skilled thieves, including computer wizard Lyle (Seth Green) and wheelman Handsome Rob (Jason Statham). They plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally, Steve (Edward Norton), who betrayed them in Venice. The revenge plot takes them to Los Angeles, where they manipulate traffic signals and navigate the labyrinthine sewer system to pull off the audacious theft. A thrilling blend of action and comedy, this film is a modern reimagining of the 1969 British classic, delivering high-speed car chases and intricate plot twists.

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  • Cadillac Records
    5

    Cadillac Records

    Adrien Brody, Beyoncé, Jeffrey Wright
    18 votes
    • Released: 2008
    • Directed by: Darnell Martin
    In 1947 Chicago, Polish emigrant and bar owner Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) hires a blues combo that includes guitarist Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and harmonica player Little Walter (Columbus Short). Waters' and Walter's success leads to Chess' management of stars Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles), Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Chuck Berry (Mos Def) and others. Inevitably, business and personal lines blur as the sometimes-turbulent lives of the musicians play out.

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  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    6

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Martin Freeman, Yasiin Bey, Sam Rockwell
    25 votes
    • Released: 2005
    • Directed by: Garth Jennings
    In the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) finds his world upended when Earth is destroyed by an alien race known as Vogons. Stranded in space, he is rescued by Ford Prefect (Mos Def), a writer for the eponymous guide. Joined by Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), the two-headed president of the galaxy, and Trillian (Zooey Deschanel), the only other human survivor, they embark on a cosmic adventure to discover the ultimate question of life, universe and everything else. The film, notable for its humorous take on science fiction, won the Empire Award for Best Comedy in 2005.

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