The Paradox Of Yasiin Bey's 'Negus,' A Rap Album Trapped In An Art Museum

The night of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Yasiin Bey was behind bars.

Earlier that evening, fans who wanted a glimpse of Justin Timberlake, T.I. or Avenged Sevenfold had gathered on the sidewalk around the entrance of Radio City Music Hall. It was Aug. 31, almost exactly a year since Hurricane Katrina had touched down in New Orleans. Bey, then still known as Mos Def, wanted to send a message to the Bush administration, as well as the celebrities cozying up inside the venue, about their response to the disaster.

Around 10 p.m., Bey pulled up to Radio City in a flatbed truck decked out with a stage, lights and sound. He broke into "," a remix of New Orleans group UTP's "" that Bey had recorded and leaked days after the disaster. ("Like where the f*** is Sir Bono and his famous friends now," goes a pointed line.), went as viral among rap fans as it was possible to go in YouTube's second year.