Mos Def Arrested Outside MTV Video Music Awards

While some artists were inside Radio City Music Hall receiving moon man statuettes at the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday night, Mos Def was outside the venue being arrested for disorderly conduct.

The rapper and a crew pulled up in front of the hall on a flatbed truck around 10 p.m. to perform "Katrina Clap," a song that criticizes the Bush administration's underwhelming response to last August's hurricane and its victims in New Orleans. A police spokesperson told MTV News that they asked Mos Def's people if they had a permit to perform outside the venue and, when told that they did, they let the one-song performance go on.

But officers soon instructed them to shut things down due to crowd and safety concerns. The message wasn't forwarded to Mos Def (real name Dante Smith) immediately, so he didn't end the performance immediately. That prompted police to start arresting members of the hip-hop star's entourage, including his brother, before they collared Mos Def. It hasn't been confirmed if a permit had been granted for the stunt.

"Mos Def was unjustly arrested tonight while performing on a flatbed truck in New York City outside the Video Music Awards," his spokesperson, Carleen Donovan, told MTV. "Mos Def was not out to break any laws.

"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."

Mos Def was released from custody early on Friday morning. People connected with him said that they captured the entire incident on video and may air it, possibly on a website, to show their side of the story.