After being detained in South Africa, Yasiin reached out to Kanye and released a voice recording through kanyewest.com
Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) has been taken in by South African authorities after trying to leave the country using a world passport. For those unaware, a world passport is a sort of political statement more than a legitimate legal document. It carries all the markings of a real passport however, it is not issued by a country and therefore isn’t a real passport. It cites the Declaration of Human Rights and suggests that humans have free reign to go where they please. No matter how much Yasiin believes in that message, it is important to note that South Africa is not in the wrong for taking him in.
In the message posted to Ye’s website, Yasiin gives a lot of lip service to the idea that he is being held without a reasonable charge and that he has done nothing wrong. While he can morally debate that point all he wants, it’s no opinion that Yasiin owes nearly $600,000 in child support. Since divorcing Maria Yepes in 2006 Yasiin was set to pay $10,o00 monthly, which he hasn’t been on top of. If he was to set foot in America, Yasiin would undeniably be taken in for avoiding child support. That’s not to say one can’t feel empathy for the situation Yasiin has found himself in, but it’s incorrect to say he’s clear of any fault.
Yasiin also announced that he would be retiring after releasing one more album later this year. No matter his circumstance, it shouldn’t taint one’s vision of Yasiin as an artist. Fame has always come tied with drama, Yasiin isn’t an exception. I wish the best for Yasiin and his family, and despite it not being law I do wish a world without borders does come into existence soon.
art by your homie, Arthur Banach
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