Mos Def was arrested outside of MTV’s Video Music Awards last night when he attempted an impromptu performance atop a flatbed truck.On a packed street outside of Radio City Music Hall, the Brooklyn rapper performed “Katrina Clap” – a freestyle criticizing the Bush administration for its slow response to last year’s Hurricane Katrina disaster – when NYPD officers shut down the unauthorized show.Mos Def and members of his entourage were arrested for disorderly conduct on the grounds that a permit for the public performance had not been issued. He was released early this morning, Sept. 1.Carleen Donovan, Mos Def’s publicist, said the NYPD’s treatment of the situation was unjustified.“Mos Def was not out to break any laws,” she said. “His only goal was to heighten the awareness of a serious situation that still exists in our country.” “He does not want people to forget that although it’s one year later, the people and cities hit by the hurricane still need the help of the American people.”
Read more...
