Mos Def Court Date Pushed Back
A court date for rapper Mos Def, born Dante Smith, was postponed yesterday by a New York court reportedly due to the rapper's schedule.
In August, Mos Def and others were arrested for performing his controversial song "Katrina Clap" outside of the MTV Video Music Awards.
The rapper was subsequently charged for disorderly conduct. "Katrina Clap" is a barbed freestyle that criticizes the Bush administration and the sluggish response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Theron 'Tee Smif' Smith, a film maker on the scene, was arrested with Mos Def. His company, Kings County Cinema Company, filmed the event.
Although he is not at liberty to discuss the details of the case, Smith queried why there hasn't been more dialogue about the incident.
"The observation I have is how the Hip-Hop community didn't publicly discuss what happened more," Smith told AllHipHop.com. "In the history of Hip-Hop, when was the last time you saw and heard of an event when a recognized artist in Hip-Hop physically made a major sociopolitical statement about what's happening to Black people to the world? The music has been subdued for a long time. The VMA's are one of the major media events of each year. It was a bold statement that didn't get its recognition."
The rapper and the others involved in the arrest will return to court next week per a judge's orders.
In related news, Mos Def recently offered his support to the Hands Off Assata Campaign with Sonia Sanchez and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
The event, which took place two weeks ago, was in support of African American activist Assata Shakur.
Shakur escaped prison in 1979 and now resides in Cuba, but the US Department of Justice maintains a $1 million bounty on her head for her involvement in the shooting death of a New Jersey police officer.
Shakur, who is also the god mother of Tupac, maintains her innocence in the slaying.
In August, Mos Def and others were arrested for performing his controversial song "Katrina Clap" outside of the MTV Video Music Awards.
The rapper was subsequently charged for disorderly conduct. "Katrina Clap" is a barbed freestyle that criticizes the Bush administration and the sluggish response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Theron 'Tee Smif' Smith, a film maker on the scene, was arrested with Mos Def. His company, Kings County Cinema Company, filmed the event.
Although he is not at liberty to discuss the details of the case, Smith queried why there hasn't been more dialogue about the incident.
"The observation I have is how the Hip-Hop community didn't publicly discuss what happened more," Smith told AllHipHop.com. "In the history of Hip-Hop, when was the last time you saw and heard of an event when a recognized artist in Hip-Hop physically made a major sociopolitical statement about what's happening to Black people to the world? The music has been subdued for a long time. The VMA's are one of the major media events of each year. It was a bold statement that didn't get its recognition."
The rapper and the others involved in the arrest will return to court next week per a judge's orders.
In related news, Mos Def recently offered his support to the Hands Off Assata Campaign with Sonia Sanchez and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
The event, which took place two weeks ago, was in support of African American activist Assata Shakur.
Shakur escaped prison in 1979 and now resides in Cuba, but the US Department of Justice maintains a $1 million bounty on her head for her involvement in the shooting death of a New Jersey police officer.
Shakur, who is also the god mother of Tupac, maintains her innocence in the slaying.
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