Group Petitions for Slick Rick's Release

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network wants hip-hop fans to petition President Bush (news - web sites) to free Slick Rick from federal custody. The group is also wants Bush to stop the Immigration and Naturalization Service from moving to boot the rap star out of the country.

The INS wants to deport Slick Rick, a British citizen, because he served time for attempted murder charge eleven years ago. This past June, he took part in a floating concert organized by Tom Joyner, in which the rap star performed on a cruise ship. The ship made stops in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The government claims the rapper deported himself when he left the country and that he illegally re-entered the country. They took him into custody when the ship returned, and he has been held ever since. The hip-hop group's president, Benjamin Chavis, calls the handling of Slick Rick's case "a gross violation of human rights."