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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.

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.

I'm retiring the Mos Def name after 2011. I'm actually doing it.

Moping is an unattractive attribute in a man.

As a teenager, I used to use the nickname 'Moo' as a moniker online, and then I turned into 'Moot' for fun, which I didn't even realize was a real word at the time, and it just stuck with me.

I met Mos Def around that time but I didn't hook up with him until I was about 17 or 18.

Stephen Moyer is probably the most gracious, gifted actor that I've met. He's really intelligent. He has a real sensitivity to his character, to scenes, to scripts.

I have to extend my admiration and respect for Sam Esmail, who is a visionary with what he's done with 'Mr. Robot,' and this brilliant resurgence of Christian Slater only helped us get where we are today - very talented individual.

JJ Abrams is definitely a guy that when he calls, you want to answer. He's incredibly focused. When he was shooting the pilot on 'Lost,' we'd do a take and he'd go back to his tent and be working on the first episodes of 'Lost' as well as the cliffhanger for the eighth season of 'Alias.' He's an incredible multitasker.

J.J. Abrams is an all-time hero of mine, really lovely to be working with him.