Critically acclaimed rapper Mos Def will not perform in Gosman next Thursday for Student Events' annual spring concert because he has canceled his entire tour due to a "conflicting movie deal," according to the Student Events Web site.The Student Events' website said the organization would refund money to all ticket holders.

Though the name of the movie that caused the rapper to cancel his tour could not be confirmed, IMDB.com said Mos Def will appear in the upcoming The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and has also signed on to star in The Italian Job II.

"We're definitely disappointed, especially because we sold 1,600 tickets on campus, which is the most tickets we've ever sold on campus, period, in the last four years," Director of Student Events Arielle Rosner '05 said.

"We know people were really excited about the show, because it was something different we were bringing it to campus," she said. "We did everything we could to salvage [the show], but it was too short of a notice."

Students shared that sentiment, with disappointment dominating reactions.

"It's a shame that a musician the caliber of Mos Def is so willing to turn his back on the very fans that enabled him to come so far," Alex Goone '06 said. "This is pretty indicative of what he really cares about. Rather than putting on a show for the people who have enjoyed and supported his music, he has betrayed us and opted to sell out instead."

Student Events planned to pay Mos Def $42,500 and Pharcyde $8,000 upon their arrival, so that money has not been lost, according to Rosner. She said Student Events "hasn't heard any final word on the staging, sound and production [contracts], but if we do lose any money, it will be minimal."

Some students suspected that Mos Def had cancelled as early as Sunday afternoon after rumors began circulating that Ticketmaster.com had listed the show as cancelled. Mos Def also backed out of a show at Northeastern University scheduled for Saturday, April 9.

Student Events attempted to notify the community of the cancellation Sunday night through a campus e-mail as well as a flyering campaign.

Students Events is looking into the possibility of Pharcyde-the hip-hop group scheduled to open for Mos Def- performing at the Bronstein-week SpringFest concert on April 13, which will feature the band The President of the United States of America. However, Rosner admits that it is unlikely that Pharcyde will appear on campus.

Student Events leaders said they plan to use funds that were budgeted for subsidizing the concert to make all events during their upcoming Bronstein week free and to provide free beer at SpringFest. They also said they will use the extra funds to recruit higher-profile acts for next fall's concert and to provide funds for other campus events including the SunDeis Film Festival and the Oxfam America Collegiate Click Drive.