September 1, 2006) *Even though it was a fairly tame (MTV) Video Music Awards by its own standards inside Radio City Music Hall Thursday night, outside it was on and poppin'. Rapper and actor Mos Def was arrested for disorderly conduct after an unauthorized performance in front of the venerable venue.

Mos Def, according to authorities, stopped off at RCMH in a flatbed truck around 10 p.m. for an impromptu show for the audience gathered there. An NYPD spokesperson said officers asked him and members of his entourage to shut it down.


But before police took action, Mos Def performed "Katrina Clap," described as a freestyle indictment of the Bush administration's slow response to last year's hurricane victims in New Orleans.


A source told MTV that officers then approached the rapper demanding the operation be stopped immediately (on the grounds that a permit had not been issued). The order wasn't communicated to Mos Def immediately, so the rapper didn't end his performance right away, the source said. Police then began making arrests, including the rapper, his entourage and his brother. It was unclear whether or not a permit was granted. Meantime, Mos Def was released early this morning, Friday, September 1.


In a statement, Carleen Donovan, Mos Def's publicist, called the NYPD's treatment of the rapper excessive.

"Mos Def was unjustly arrested tonight while performing on a flatbed track in New York City outside the Video Music Awards," said Donovan. "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."