Although Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the rapper-turn-activist has since planted his feet in many different parts of the world, more recently, he's resided in South Africa. In mid-January he put on a concert streamed live from Africa as part of a new initiative "The Time Is Always Now." It appears now is not the time for Yasiin's American tour, which we've learned today has been cancelled.
Bey was scheduled to tour the U.S. for a series of dates, which were supposed to kick off last week in Boston. However a statement was issued on Bey's behalf which cites immigration/legal issues, saying that the rapper is barred from entering the U.S. at this time.
"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 U.S. tour has been canceled, including May 15th, Together Boston's show at The Wilbur Theater. Individual ticket refunds for this show are available at point of sale," the statement reads.
We do not know for sure what the immigration/legal issues pertain to, however some hypothesize that Yasiin gave up his American citizenship to make the move to South Africa, or perhaps his strong views against American hostage policies could be the reason.