Free Republic

Yasiin Bey, the American rapper formerly known as Mos Def, has been charged with violating South Africa's immigration laws after he was arrested last week trying to leave the country on an unrecognised travel document. Bey, who is free on bail, will appear in court on March 8, officials said on Wednesday. The entertainer was arrested on Thursday in Cape Town when he produced a "World Passport" to get on a flight to Ethiopia. The World Passport is a document issued by a non-profit organisation called World Service Authority. South Africa does not recognise it, making it illegal for anyone...

Let all decent human beings this day remember Werner Foerster, a New Jersey state trooper slain in 1973 - for tonight there will be a nauseating gathering to celebrate (yes, celebrate) the armed prison break that freed one of Foerster's convicted killers. An organization that should know better, the big public employee union SEIU Local 1199, has opened an auditorium at its headquarters to a group that lionizes fugitive Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, as a heroine whose "liberation" from prison 27 years ago it considers a bright moment in American history. Sponsors of the Hands Off Assata Campaign include...

Taken from Tuesday's edition of The Jason Rantz Show on KIRO Radio. After some backlash following the Grammys, there were all these tweets being highlighted that Macklemore sent out years ago that might cast him in a bad light. One of those particular tweets was sent out on Sept. 18, 2009. He tweeted this: That is, according to Buzzfeed, a regurgitation of a lyric from a Mos Def song that says the same thing. But I ask, does this make him a 9/11 Truther? Is this someone who actually holds this belief system? We look at some of his music....

Mos Def is curbstomped by Christopher Hitchens

I was watching Bill Mahr this weekend - Not because I like him, trust him, or agree with ANYTHING he says, just to see what the other side is saying about things - and one of his guests was Hip Hop Artist Mos Def. Mos Def made a statement that I would like to know a little more about. I'm still learning about politics and history and things so I am hoping that there is a good answer to this question as it will probably come up in conversation with friends and family and I want to be prepared to...

A Hamas militant leader who has topped Israel's most-wanted list for a decade was badly wounded and underwent four hours of spinal surgery Wednesday after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike, security officials said. The top fugitive, Mohammed Deif, could end up paralyzed, Palestinian security officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss his condition. Wednesday's blast marked the army's fourth attempt to kill Deif, held responsible for suicide bombings in Israel. In a 2002 missile strike, he lost an eye. At least 23 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Wednesday. And an Israeli airstrike...

<p>From sampling Malcolm X to evoking Islamic principles in its rhymes, hip-hop is opening eyes to the Muslim world.</p> <p>Islam has flavored hip-hop from its beginnings with Afrika Bambaataa to current rappers Jurassic 5 and Mos Def. But current events have made Muslim rappers feel like they're under attack. Muslim rappers are also struggling to make their varied beliefs understood.</p>