Mos Def has been forced to cancel his US tour after he was denied entry into the United States.
According to the New York Daily News, the rapper, who currently goes by the name Yasiin Bey, was reportedly barred from entering the United States due to immigration and legal issues. Bey, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, has been living in South Africa for the past year.
Boston's Together music festival released the following statement: "We regret to inform you that due to immigration/legal issues Yasiin Bey is unable to enter back into the United States and his upcoming US tour has been canceled, including May 15, Together Boston's show at The Wilbur Theatre. Individual ticket refunds for this show are available at point of sale."
In March, the 40-year-old rapper told Rolling Stone Magazine that living in South Africa gave him peace. In 2009, Bey settled in Cape Town.
"I lived in Brooklyn 33 years of my life. I thought I'd be buried in that place," he told the magazine. "Around seven years ago, I was like, you know, 'I gotta go, I gotta leave.' It's very hard to leave. And I lived in a lot of places: Central America, North America, Europe for a while. And I came to Cape Town in 2009 and it just hit me. I was like, 'Yeah.' I know when a good vibe gets to you. And, you know, I thought about this place every day from when I left."
Bey added: "I'm not here just for like middle-class comfort, you know. Sure, it's a beautiful place, you got the ocean, the mountain, the botanical garden, the beautiful people, the history, the culture, the struggle and everything - maaan, let me tell you something, for a guy like me, who had five or six generations not just in America but in one town in America, to leave America, things gotta be not so good with America."
The rapper has been vocal about his opposition toward U.S. officials' treatment of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay detention facility. In July 2013, he took part in a demonstration showing force-feeding procedures used on prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. During the presentation the rapper stopped the procedure and broke down, due to intense pain.
