(Photo by Mark Horton/WireImage)
The rapper and actor formerly known as Mos Def is in trouble in South Africa on immigration charges. South African authorities say the artist and his family have been living in the country illegally since 2014. He’s charged with a number of immigration violations, including using a false identity, using an unrecognized travel document known as a “world passport,” and helping his family stay in South Africa illegally. His family is now being ordered to leave the country by the end of January or be deported. The 42-year-old entertainer, who was born in Brooklyn as Dante Smith but is now using the name Yasiin Bey, is scheduled to appear in court on March 8th. As for now, he’s enlisted fellow rapper Kanye West to help spread his message of innocence on his website and to tell the world he’s making one more album this year and then retiring.
