Mos Def Arrest Update: Rapper Ordered To Leave South African Soil? [VIDEO]
Mos Def, who now calls him Yasiin Bey was recently arrested in Cape Town, South Africa after he attempted to use an unrecognized "world passport" to travel to Ethiopia.
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Authorities found out that the 42-year-old entertainer entered South African soil with an American passport back in 2013 and had been overstaying using his visitor's permit by 2014.
A representative of the rapper told Foreign Policy, "He wanted to start using the World Passport because it's more representative of his personal ideals and philosophies." A World Passport is a little-known document issued by the World Service Authority in Washington, D.C, which may not have been recognized by the South African authorities.
He and his family, who have also been overstaying in the country, were ordered to leave within 14 days for violating immigration laws.
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"Last year May, I came (to Cape Town) and I said I'm not leaving. I'm staying. It's a beautiful place. It has the ocean, mountain, botanical gardens and beautiful people," Bey said in an interview in March 2014.
He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and has appeared in a number of films, including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Be Kind Rewind and The Italian Job.