One of the surprising aspects of this story is how long it took for the news to break. I have no doubt that the local consulate was advised right away, but nothing has made the press or gossip pages until just recently. There were indicators, however, the import of which apparently escaped many:

One public hint of his predicament was his absence from a star-studded benefit roast for actress Jane Fonda held June 1 at the Georgia Aquarium. Austin was scheduled to be one of the speakers but didn't make the event. Fonda told the crowd that Austin was "stuck in Dubai."

That's putting it mildly. US visitors to the UAE are duly forwarned by our government that the UAE government is one of laws, laws taken very seriously:

Still, the U.S. State Department warns travelers to the U.A.E. to be mindful of its conservative Islamic customs — and about its tough drug laws. "Persons violating UAE laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned," the State Department says on its Web site. "Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in the UAE are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines."

I do not find it surprising that Austin's Atlanta-based recording studio and production business has yet to release any formal statement:

People in Atlanta close to Austin contacted Friday and Saturday either declined to comment or said they did not know that Austin had been arrested. Calls to his Atlanta studio Friday were returned by longtime friend and co-worker Dave Gates, who said he had "no comment about the situation. ... It's business as usual at Rowdy and DARP [Dallas Austin Recording Projects]. And I talk to Dallas every day." Also Friday, two Austin employees outside the Trabert Avenue recording studio and office space denied the news reports and defended their boss. Neho Worthy, who helps develop new artists for Austin, said, "He's like a brother to me. I've got no comment."

Acknowledging Austin's predicament will likely hurt his image in Atlanta, the city for which he recently produced a song used in its official marketing campaign. If he does a jail term whose length is measured in years, his budding movie producing efforts will be cut short, his impressive track record as a music producer will likely stall out.

The latter would be the case not so much because of the notoriety factor- that might even help - as for the fact that he would not be able to keep pace with the rapidly-evolving American pop music scene while doing time in a UAE jail. The only mellifluous voices he would hear from here would be the five-times daily call to prayer over the prison mosque megaphone- definitely not the stuff of which chart-topping pop songs in the US are made. Now that the news is out, if Austin wants to salvage his career then sooner rather than later he needs to hire someone to do public relations for him.

Afterthought: I wonder if one of the American VIP's working on Austin's behalf is fellow Atlantan, former mayor, former congressman, and most importantly former US Ambassador to the UN, Andrew Young.

Updates: Dallas plead guilty in court today (July 2nd). Sentencing is scheduled for July 4th. How ironic.

See also: Crime Costs: Dubai's Teenage Crime Wave

Tags: dallas austin | dubai | UAE | united arab emirates | music | Entertainment | naomi campbell | Celebrities | rap | hip hop | HipHop | R&B | andrew young I

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