Yasiin Bey Allowed to Leave South Africa After Apologizing to Government

After months of legal troubles, Yasiin Bey has been permitted to leave South Africa.

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Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, has been permitted to leave South Africa after apologizing to the government. Bey will now be declared an "undesirable person" and will not be granted re-entry back into South Africa in the future, the home affairs department confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday. Earlier this year, Bey was arrested after trying to leave South Africa using a World Passport.

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"[He] has unreservedly apologized to the Government of South Africa," the home affairs department said in a press release on Tuesday. "The department is satisfied with the apology [and] will withdraw the charges against him." Though the World Service Authority (WSA) has been issuing World Passports since 1954, many countries refuse to accept the passport as a form of identity. The WSA, however, says Ecuador, Zambia, Tanzania, and other countries have accepted their passports in the past.

In a Facebook Live video originally posted in October, Bey reaffirmed his retirement plans while promising fans he intended to stay creatively active in a variety of different ways. "I'm retiring for real this year, this week," Bey said at the time. "With the 17th anniversary of Black on Both Sides being released, I am grateful to have had the career that I have been able to enjoy."

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Back in August, Yasiin Bey and collaborator Ferrari Sheppard released a new Dec. 99th track entitled "Hymn." In a press release that accompanied the track's Tidal premiere, Bey summarized the urgency of the message. "Condolences to the families of the slain," Bey said. "Never stop pursuing freedom."

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