Yasiin Bey (AKA Mos Def) Explains Why He Left The U.S.

Last year around this time, the story started circulating that Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def was supposedly banned from entering the U.S. for reasons unknown. It later emerged that Yasiin reportedly moved abroad on his own accord and he’s since returned to America for performances, most recently in Chicago and Minneapolis, which quashes the idea that he was ever “banned.”

Maybe Mos got tired of all the rumors and decided to address them directly. He recently sat down with Beats By Dre for a short interview where he explains his decision to move abroad and how his musical creativity led to the decision.

“As an artist and as a human being, working in the way that I work in the world today,” Yasiin explains, “It’s really America’s a very challenging place for me. Sure, there’s great business opportunities, familiarity and all that. But given the current social, political, economic…