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Yasiin Bey, the former Mos Def, has been moving in mysterious ways since his early days in Brooklyn. Jumping from New Orleans to his current residence in South Africa over the years, the talented rapper and entertainer has been barred from reentering the United States for legal and immigration reasons.

A statement was issued last week ahead of Bey’s upcoming U.S. tour, just days before his scheduled May 15 date at Boston’s Wilbur Theater. Not much could be taken from the briefly-worded statement except the glaring opening sentence that has been raising eyebrows since the announcement.

The statement read: “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.”

Bey has been living in South Africa for much of the past year after a visit last May inspired him to leave Brooklyn and make the transatlantic trek. Rumors are swirling about that Bey gave up his U.S. citizenship in making the move, while others speculate his outspoken stances against American hostage policies may be at the root.

 

Photo: Tuomas Vitikainen (TeeVee)/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en