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Rapper Mos Def has canceled his upcoming US tour due to his inability to enter the United States due to Immigration problems. In a statement released on his website that “due to immigration / legal issues [Mos Def] is unable to enter back into the United States and his upcoming U.S. tour has been canceled, including the May 15th Together Boston’s show at The Wilbur Theatre. So far there is no specifics to the legal issues though it has resulted in a cascade of anger by fans because of the canceled concerts.
There is some debate as to real cause of Mos Def concert cancellation. According to friend Abdi Hussein Mos Def “has never attempted to enter any country and been refused. It is a complete lie.” Instead, Hussein believes that Def’s commitments to and love for Africa are the real reason he has canceled his tour. Mos Def is currently in Cape Town, South Aftrica where he has lived for the past year since moving from Brooklyn. Speaking earlier this year about his lowered opinion about the United States in comparison to Cape Town, Def stated that while the South Africa is “a beautiful place… things gotta be not so good with America.”
Born Yasiin Bey in Brooklyn, NY, Yasiin adopted the moniker mos Def at the beginning of his rap career in 1998. Soon after Mos Def signed with Rawkus Records to produce the Talib Kweli collaboration Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star which thanks to hit singles “Respiration” and “Definition” would jumpstart Mos Def’s rap career.
In addition to rap Mos Def has also hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007 as well as acting in a number of films including Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Italian Job, and his Emmy nominated performance in Something the Lord Made. In 2002 he played the role of Booth in the broadway debut of Suzan-Lori Parks’s pullitzer-prize winning Topdog/Underdog.
Complete resale is available for those who preordered tickets to Def’s Concerts. As of today there is no news on if and when Mos Def will return to the United States.