One of the better sociopolitical rappers of the late '80s and early '90s, Def Jef (born Jeffrey Forston) released an excellent debut (1989's Just a Poet With Soul) and a mildly disappointing follow-up (1991's Soul Food) before going into production. When he left the MC spotlight, he worked on records by a number of artists -- as a producer and remixer -- including Nas, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Nadanuf, Boss, Bone, and Shaquille O'Neal. He made short appearances in the films #Downtown (1990) and #Deep Cover (1992), and he also remained active as the music supervisor for MTV's #Lyricist Lounge program. In 2002, he and his Kontrol Freaks production unit put together Kontrol Ya'self, a piece of audio software with beats, samples, and tracks. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi