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Kool Moe Dee
Birth name	Mohandas Dewese
Born	August 8, 1962 (1962-08-08) (age 45)
Origin	New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s)	Hip-hop
Years active	1978-1996
Label(s)	Jive Records

Mohandas Dewese (born 8 August 1962), better known as Kool Moe Dee, was an American old-school rapper prominent in the late 1980s and early '90s. He was born in Manhattan, New York City.

In high school in the late 1970s, he met Special K and DJ Easy Lee. Kool Moe Dee joined with other rappers Special K and L.A. Sunshine as well as DJ Easy Lee to form the influential old school hip hop group the Treacherous Three. It is with The Treacherous Three that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle, on stage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap. He appeared in the breakdance cult-movie Beat Street in 1984. In 1986, Kool Moe Dee went solo, releasing a self-titled album. Most of his solo work was produced by New Jack Swing sound-founder Teddy Riley.

He is also well-known for his long-running rivalry with LL Cool J; he claims that LL Cool J stole his rapping style. The cover of Kool Moe Dee's 1987 album How Ya Like Me Now features a red Kangol hat (LL Cool J's trademark) being crushed under the wheel of a Jeep.

His song "I Go To Work" from the album Knowledge Is King is considered by some the pinnacle of his work, with high speed, high energy and intricate lyrics masterfully mixed in to the stacatto sounds of a marching band.

Kool Moe Dee also appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1987 single of the same name.

In 2003 he authored a book called "There's a God on the Mic" (ISBN 1-56025-533-1). The book breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills, where he ranked himself as number #5, ahead of MC's such as The GZA, and Tupac (ironically, he placed LL Cool J at #7, despite the past beef that the two had, even referring to him as an "unbreakable master").

Kool Moe Dee performed at a Grammys ceremony that other rap nominees boycotted. Some say this was the cause of his downfall in he lost what would later be called "street cred."

Kool Moe Dee was also the first recipient of the NAACP Image award.

• I'm Kool Moe Dee (1986)
• How Ya Like Me Now (1987) (Platinum)
• Knowledge Is King (1989) (Gold)
• Funke, Funke Wisdom (1991)
• Greatest Hits (1993)
• Interlude (1994, Ichiban Records)
• Jive Collection Volume 2: Kool Moe Dee (1995)

• Interview with Kool Moe Dee, in 2002
• Link to Kool Moe Dee's book "There's a God on the Mic" on Amazon
• Discogs entry