December 10, 2009

Protest Buju Banton’s Grammy Nomination

or, Start a Petition

Change.org

Tweet This Post!

August 1, 2009

Elephant Man, Still Inciting Torture & Murder of Gays, Bounced from Toronto Show

Good:

Tweet This Post!

May 12, 2009

Jamaica: Actually, the Music is Only a Reflection of the Beatings and Murders

Expressions in Words, on the Jamaica Boycott:

Jamaica has long been known as a homophobic society - though granted we don’t have a poster at our international airports! More publicly, it is reflected in the music. Comparable to the spate of ‘daggering’ songs, local dancehall kings and queens vie for who can best describe with what should be done to homosexuals, often times in the most graphic of ways.

Tweet This Post!

November 21, 2008

Reggae Gay-Hater Bounty Killer: “Faggot, I kill every one of them”

Title tells all.

Pink News UK has the story and the video, and a link to a second video…

…too distressing to be shown here, [which] records the attempted lynching of a gay man in Jamaica. You can hear the attackers shout the lyrics from murder music songs: “Batty men fi dead (queers must die).”

Click here to watch the video, which contains disturbing scenes of violence.

Tweet This Post!

August 31, 2008

New York “Straight Pride” Parade Complete Bust; Gay Haters (And Everybody But Joe) Stay Away in Droves

Joe.My.God. has the pictures… of absolutely nothing:

Straight Pride Parade: Attendance Zero

The things I do for you people, getting up at the asscrack of the Lord’s Day to trek out to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights for the much-hyped Straight Pride Parade. As you can see, however, I found the corner of Flatbush and Church, the parade’s supposed 10am starting point, completely deserted. Damn, and here I wanted a Straight Pride t-shirt.

I did see a good number of cars whizzing by that were festooned with flags from Jamaica and other Caribbean nations, but those were probably just folks getting ready for tomorrow’s massive West Indian Day Parade. Just to make sure I hadn’t missed the fun, I popped into a few shops to inquire if anybody had seen a parade this morning. The manager of Raquel Shoes told me, “I’ve been here since 8:30am. It’s been totally quiet all morning.” …

I at least expected to find a couple of reporters lurking around, but the only folks on the street seemed to be morning shoppers. …

Who knows, maybe I blinked and missed a handful of haters marching up Church Avenue wearing Buju Banton t-shirts. What a laughable non-event. And that, my tender kittens, is a very good thing.

Great parade, gay-bashers!

Related:

Gay-Hating Reggae Singers Coming to NYC for Anti-Gay Pride
July 8, 2008

Four Days Until Jamaican Gay Bashers Descend on New York
August 27, 2008

Tweet This Post!

August 27, 2008

Four Days Until Jamaican Gay Bashers Descend on New York

New Yorkers, what are you planning for a protest? There’s virtually no news, even in the LGBT media, on this disgusting display of anti-gay aggression. Are you going to let this happen without showing up, or at least speaking up?

Backstory:

Gay-Hating Reggae Singers Coming to NYC for Anti-Gay Pride

If the above link isn’t enough to make you sick to your stomach, here’s an August 19th press release from the gay-haters themselves:

Reggae and Dancehall Music Defend Itself Against the Homosexual Community

TCOOO, the reggae label for artists such as Massicker, Jango Fresh, Boom Viniyard and Stapler will be holding a straight pride parade in New York City on August 31, 2008. The label hopes that this parade and more to follow will rid Reggae of the negative “murder music” label that, according to the TCOOO label, has been given to the music by gay right activists such as Peter Tatchell.

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 19, 2008 — With the straight pride parade in New York City only two weeks away, Reggae continues to defend itself against the recent boycotts of the music. The main purpose of the parade is to get rid of some of the negative stereotypes that, according to the TCOOO label, has been attributed to not only the Reggae community, but to Jamaica and Jamaicans in general.

Some Reggae artists believe that reggae music has been unfairly targeted. Stapler from the TCOOO label and the artist behind “Hit them hard,” the song at the root of the straight pride parade, believes the gay community targets Reggae because 99 percent of the artists are African American.

Yeah, pull the racism card, Stapler. It couldn’t possibly be that it’s not your skin color, but your deep-rooted, activist aggression and violent hate speech that bothers us, could it?

“Eminem dissed them and they protested a little, then Eminem performed on stage with Elton John and all was forgiven,” said Stapler. “Beenie man went on the Ru-Paul show so why are gays still bent on destroying Reggae music?”

Hey, Stapler: Better you should ask why reggae artists are bent on destroying gay people. You stop inciting violence against us, and we’ll leave you alone. You actively work against anti-gay violence, and we might even consider buying your records again.

Massicker from the TCOOO label took it a step further, saying, “Look at the Reggae artists that they target. They go after Buju Banton and Sizzla, but they don’t bother a Sean Paul or a Damian Marley. When Damian Marley said, ‘Funny man get drop like a bad habit,’ what do they think a funnyman is? A funnyman is a homosexual, so are they afraid to challenge a Marley, or is he not Black enough for the homosexual community to try and destroy?”

Get off your cross, Massicker — your fellow gay-bashers need the nails.

As far as Sean Paul and Damian Marley: Who the hell are they? If they were as high-profile as Sizzla and Elephant Man (and espoused hatred against gay people), we’d say something about them, too.

TCOOO maintains that the label just wants to make music for Reggae fans worldwide and doesn’t have the time for any negativity. The label’s song “Hit them hard” by artist Stapler was banned by numerous radio stations after climbing to the top ten on numerous Reggae charts for what some claim was anti-gay content. Both the label and Stapler deny the claim, saying that the song is really a pro-family song.

Then the label and Stapler are clearly delusional — or just plain stupid, or just plain liars, or just plain milking this controversy for all its worth with clearly inflammatory statements because all publicity is good publicity. Yes, I believe that’s it exactly.

The Straight Pride Parade will take place in Brooklyn, New York along Church avenue on August 31, 2008 form 10AM to 6PM. Information about the parade can be found at TCOOO’s websites at www.tcooo.imeem.com.

“Hit Them Hard” lyrics by the artist Stapler:

“Jah Jah gonna hit them hard
All the men who visit men backyard
Leaving all the women to starve
One thunder ball and all of them pause

Hand in hand with my lady
Hug her and kiss her cause she carried my baby
But some boys moving shady
While am chilling on the ends making sweet love to Sadie
All I know am here to produce and all the ladies you are my friends
From the past, the present, the future my girl, love and respect to the end

Jah Jah gonna hit them hard
All the men who visit men backyard
Leaving all the women to starve
One thunder ball and all of them pause

Remember you are a King, what happened to your queen
The youths need a role model to instill self esteem
So live your life clean
and you will see what I mean

Jah Jah gonna hit them hard
All the men who visit men backyard
Leaving all the women to starve
One thunder ball and all of them pause

The world is spinning and everything in it
Mankind lose their way, some gone past their limit
Am here to advice and to be a critic
Be careful of the lifestyle you choose to exhibit
Children live what they learn
Aren’t you concerned
of your choices in society
We need to preserve the value of a male and a female in every family”

Ugly. Just ugly. And dangerous.

Related:

Change of Heart for Jamaican Hate-Music Stars? We’re Not Buying It.
June 13, 2007

We’ll Believe It When He Never Sings “Boom Bye Bye” Again
July 23, 2007

Toronto Cops to Keep Close Eye on Jamaican Hate Music Purveyors
September 26, 2007

Toronto: Elephant Man, Sizzla Shows Cancelled
October 2, 2007

NDP Calls for Boycott of Anti-Gay & Lesbian Artists
October 4, 2007

We Knew Buju Banton Was Full of Bull. Sometimes, We Just Hate Being Right.
October 30, 2007

Gay-Hating Reggae Singers Coming to NYC for Anti-Gay Pride
July 8, 2008

More in the Jamaica category.

Tweet This Post!

July 8, 2008

Gay-Hating Reggae Singers Coming to NYC for Anti-Gay Pride

You think my headline is too harsh? Consider the reaction to a KKK “white pride” event to counter Juneteenth.

Yes, reggae hate-music “artists” and their proponents are on par with white supremacists; both groups advocate the murder of minority groups.

This “Straight Pride Parade” is nothing but an excuse for gay bashers and would-be gay bashers to flaunt their open, blatant hatred for those of us they want to see dead.

That said… From PageOneQ:

Straight pride parade to hit New York City

A group of reggae artists, backed by their record label, will openly embrace their heterosexuality this upcoming Labor Day weekend.

“Although reggae is known for its militancy and its resistance to injustice,” TCOOO Productions proclaimed, “the reggae community has remained calm throughout the attack on the music by Peter Tatchell and other Gay activists (sic) groups.”

Frequent reports of kidnappings, harassment and mob beatings of gays, particularly in Jamaica, provide the backdrop for the lyrics of reggae and dancehall artists such as Beenie Man and Buju Banton, assailed by Outrage! founder Peter Tatchell as part of his Stop Murder Music campaign, which spans two decades. One example of a song that has gained notoriety in its mentions of violence against gays is Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye,” released in the early 1990s and cited as the catalyst to the campaign’s birth.

“The Straight Pride Parade is a chance for Heterosexuals to gather together and proudly embrace their sexuality,” said reggae artist Jango Fresh. “The Parade will also allow reggae and dancehall fans who are in New York City for the Labor Day celebrations to get together and celebrate reggae, dancehall and family in love and unity.”

“Hit Them Hard,” a song by TCOOO artist Stapler, is one recent example of a song the label laments as a chart-climbing “pro-family” hit taken down by Tatchell’s campaigning.

The chorus is:

Jah Jah gonna hit them hard
All the men who visit men backyard
Leaving all the women to starve
One thunder ball and all of them pause …

The event is planned for August 31, 2008 in Brooklyn, on the same route as the Caribbean Labor Day parade.

Tweet This Post!

October 30, 2007

We Knew Buju Banton Was Full of Bull. Sometimes, We Just Hate Being Right.

So much for gay-murder advocate Buju Banton “coming out against anti-gay lyrics“:

Buju sings controversial tune at music festival

It had all the ingredients of a good show - quality performances, massive support and mostly clean music - but the highly anticipated Guyana Music Festival clearly lacked the core item of local talent, which was in very short supply.

But even that was insufficient to put a damper on things and when the curtains came down at around 3 am yesterday morning, the $3000 that the majority of persons parted with, was exhausted mainly due to one man and a band with a music career much older than three quarters of the huge crowd.

‘Gargamel’ Buju Banton and Third World rocked the show so hard the vibrations probably shifted a few seats in the Guyana National Stadium. Combined the two powerhouses belted out sounds so sweet and conscious it was difficult to determine the best reggae performance of the night. But the night certainly belonged to the dreadlocked, still very much homophobic Jamaican dancehall star, who had no apologies for his discriminatory lyrics lashing the gay community.

“Buju nah like no batty boy and dem batty boy attack Buju”, the singer said to an adulating audience who seemed to have been waiting for that exact moment. And perhaps feeling the vibes of the embracing crowd and the urge to sing his controversial song, “Boom boom bye”, the singer belted out a few of the lyrics nearing the close of his performance.

But Buju was not the only performer to have walked that line. Kiprich, another Jamaican star who appeared much earlier in the night also sang out against the gay community and the audience largely enjoyed it.

It doesn’t make us happy to say we told you so. But we told you so.

Tweet This Post!

October 4, 2007

NDP Calls for Boycott of Anti-Gay & Lesbian Artists

For us U.S.-centric Usians, the NDP is Canada’s New Democratic Party — basically good guys, and what you wish the U.S. Democratic Party would be; i.e., totally pro-LGBT, pro-social programs, pro-environment, etc. Here’s their latest press release:

OTTAWA - NDP critic for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual Issues, Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) called on Canadian fans of Jamaican dancehall music to carefully consider their attendance at concerts by Jamaican performers Elephant Man and Sizzla.

“These performers are known for their explicit lyrics calling for the killing of gay men and lesbians. According to human rights organizations, their music has contributed significantly to a marked increase in anti-gay and lesbian violence in Jamaica,” noted Siksay.

“Canada and Canadians have said clearly that the incitement of violence or murder against an identifiable group is unacceptable. I hope that fans of Jamaican dancehall music will appreciate that a vibrant musical tradition should not be used as a cover for the promotion of hatred. I hope that they will choose to boycott performances. I also hope that the promoters and venues for these concerts will reconsider their participation in the spread of a hateful message. Canadians must stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in Jamaica and in Canada in saying that the promotion of violence is not acceptable,” concluded Siksay.

Discuss this story

Tweet This Post!

October 2, 2007

Toronto: Elephant Man, Sizzla Shows Cancelled

The Toronto Star delivers the good news:

Kool Haus has pulled the plug last minute on the concerts of two controversial reggae and dancehall artists.

Entertainers Elephant Man and Sizzla were scheduled to perform Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 respectively, but both men have been under fire from human rights organizations who say their lyrics are homophobic.

Akim Larcher, founder of Stop Murder Music Canada - a coalition made up of 20 organizations that promote human rights - says that the federal government has remained silent.

“They shouldn’t have been allowed to get visas to perform in the country,” says Larcher. “It’s not about censorship or artistic freedom. That stops when hate propaganda is involved… No one should have that platform to speak.”

. . .

But activist and author Orville Lloyd Douglas says a lot of these organizations are targeting Black entertainers. “There are a lot of double standards here. They don’t go after Eminem or Marilyn Manson.”

. . .

“There are artists who are profiteering the songs about death and violence against gays and lesbians,” says Larcher. “It isn’t a black and white issue. It’s a human rights issue.” …

Ah, the old when-you’re-wrong-shift-the-target-to-something-else gambit. But that’s OK; we’ll bite:

Nobody’s “targeting Black entertainers” — only so-called entertainers whose lyrics promote the murder of gay men and lesbians; e.g.:

Shot batty boy, my big gun boom — Sizzla
(”Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom”)

Battyman fi dead!
Please mark we word
Gimme tha tech-nine
Shoot dem like bird — Elephant Man

And gay people have long complained about Eminem’s anti-gay lyrics, even while being told we’re just not hip enough, or young enough, or whatever enough, to appreciate his artistic stylings.

Whatever. These lyrics alone, from Eminem’s Criminal, are clear:

My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge
That’ll stab you in the head
Whether you’re a fag or lez
Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest
Pants or dress — hate fags?
The answer’s ‘yes’

And if Marilyn Manson is offending anyone (and it should be African-Americans who are offended; we’ve heard Manson repeat the N-word in his lyrics, compulsively), why isn’t anyone speaking up? Maybe because Manson is primarily the property of death-obsessed teenagers unlikely to notice his racial barbs, much less complain about them?

See also:
Toronto Cops to Keep Close Eye on Jamaican Hate Music Purveyors

Discuss this story

Tweet This Post!

September 26, 2007

Toronto Cops to Keep Close Eye on Jamaican Hate Music Purveyors

What would Bob think?

The Toronto Star reports:

Toronto police will monitor this Friday’s concert by Jamaican dancehall artist O’Neil Bryan, also known as Elephant Man, after receiving complaints that the performer incites anti-gay violence through his music.

. . .

Despite protests by the Toronto-based Canadian Caribbean Human Rights Group, immigration officials have issued visas to both Bryan and Collins. The latter was banned from the United Kingdom in 2004. Bryan arrived in Canada last week and has performed in Winnipeg and Victoria, where local police closely monitored the concerts.

. . .

Ticket sales for Elephant Man’s show have been poor, with only one-third of the 2,180 seats sold. Sizzla’s concert is expected to draw 1,500.

That’s little comfort to the organizers of the Stop Murder Music campaign, made up of 20 advocacy groups that believe music by homophobic dancehall performers has contributed to mob attacks against gays in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Police could charge the artists if they perform anti-gay numbers.

The artists’ Toronto promoters, Ultimate Entertainment and Chris Hines Ent., say the performers don’t have the power to “invoke violence and murder” against gays and lesbians.

The Toronto booking agent says he can’t do anything now because of contractual agreements, but says: “I am a million per cent against lyrics that promote hatred against gays and lesbians, women, religions and races … Had I been aware of the nature of the lyrics, I wouldn’t have allowed the booking.”

That’s why it’s important to keep hammering at the issue. A lot of people who can do something are just not aware.

See also:
Dr Evil or plain hate?

Discuss this story

Tweet This Post!

July 23, 2007

We’ll Believe It When He Never Sings “Boom Bye Bye” Again

Another Reggae Superstar Comes Out Against Anti-Gay Lyrics

Buju Banton is the latest top Jamaican reggae superstar to renounce homophobia and condemn violence against lesbians and gay men.

His notorious 1990s hit tune Boom Bye Bye, which he has, up to now, continued to perform at concerts, encourages listeners to shoot gay men in the head, pour acid on their bodies and burn them alive.

Now Banton has changed his tune; joining three other world famous reggae legends to sign the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA) statement…

. . .

The agreement follows the three-year-long Stop Murder Music campaign, which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of the singers’ concerts and sponsorship deals, causing them income losses estimated in excess of five million US dollars (£2.5 million).

“The Reggae Compassionate Act is a big breakthrough,” said Peter Tatchell, of the British gay human rights group OutRage!. Mr Tatchell is coordinator of the worldwide Stop Murder Music campaign. He helped negotiate the deal with the four singers. …

. . .

“This deal is already having a huge, positive impact in Jamaica and the Caribbean. The media coverage has generated public awareness and debate; breaking down ignorance and undermining homophobia. Having these major reggae stars renounce homophobia is influencing their fans and the wider public to rethink bigoted attitudes. The beneficial effect on young straight reggae fans is immense,” he said.

This is probably the first time we’ve ever thought Peter Tatchell, of all people, was being too optimistic.

It would be nice to believe that these reggae artists (especially Banton, one of the most talented reggae artists since Peter Tosh) have seen the light, but you know it’s really only about money.

We’ll just see if Banton can manage to restrain himself from advocating the murder of gay people at his next concert.

See also:
Change of Heart for Jamaican Hate-Music Stars? We’re Not Buying It.

Discuss this story

Tweet This Post!

June 13, 2007

Change of Heart for Jamaican Hate-Music Stars? We’re Not Buying It.

Reggae Acts Sign Up to Renounce Homophobia

After years of promoting hatred, reggae artists such as Beenie Man, Capleton and Sizzla have signed an agreement to renounce homophobia in their music.

Despite winning a Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2001, Beenie Man has had various concerts cancelled for his anti-gay stance on songs like “Bad Man Chi Chi Man (Bad Man, Queer Man)” as well as inciting the murder of gays and lesbians while performing.

However, the three artists have reportedly signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, which will work with both reggae promoters and Stop Murder Music activists.

In a statement, the artists pledged to “respect and uphold the rights of all individuals to live without violence due to their religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or gender. There’s no space in the music community for hatred and prejudice, including no place for racism, violence, sexism or homophobia. We agree not to make statements or perform songs that incite hatred or violence against anyone from any community.”

The Stop Murder Music campaign has been campaigning for this agreement for the last three years, fighting for the cancellation of hundreds of concerts as well as sponsorship deals, which has caused losses in excess of $5 million.

The only lesson they’ve learned is that parading their hatred in public results in a hit to the wallet — and gets them banned (and sometimes arrested) in Britain.

“Reggae Compassionate Act” — rrrrrrright. They haven’t even begun to atone for their criminal “music.”

Discuss this story

Tweet This Post!