| Scourge of The "Reggae Rogues" |
By Jim Farber, The Daily News
August 16, 2007
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| On eve of concert, activists take reggae artists to task for anti-gay songs. |
Two of reggae's top artists are set to play a major festival celebrating the genre on Randalls Island one week from Saturday.
But if local gay activists, and New York politicians like state Sen. Tom Duane, have their way, stars like Buju Banton and Bounty Killer won't come anywhere near the place - at least unless they sign |
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| a controversial paper known as "The Reggae Compassionate Act." |
The one-page document, drawn up earlier this year by the gay activist group Stop Murder Music, asks reggae artists to renounce the genre's long and well-documented history of lyrics advocating violence against gay men and lesbians. |
Stop Murder Music has documented at least three songs by Bounty Killer that encourage burning, drowning and "wiping out faggots." Killer has also released a song ("Dat Ah True") via the Internet that asserts his right to his beliefs and vows not to bow to the "faggot maggot." |
Activists say Killer has refused to sign the paper. A spokeswoman at his American record company, VP, said she could not reach the artist's manager to confirm that, or to comment on the issue. |
Buju Banton made international headlines in the '90s with his song "Boom Bye Bye," which advocated putting bullets in the heads of gay people, pouring acid over them, and burning them alive. |
In July the Guardian newspaper in London reported that Banton had signed the RCA, but activists say the star later claimed it was a forgery. |
Banton's manager, Donovan Germaine, did not answer e-mails from The News for comment. |
Mark Milano of the local activist organization Gay Justice League says, "The fact that Buju signed it and then said he didn't is trying to play both sides."
For that reason, Peter Tatchell, who heads up the London-based gay activist group Outrage, wanted Banton to re-sign the document before a U.K. show last |
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week. Tatchell says, "Buju and his management tricked the London police and the venue management into believing that he would sign. But at the last minute, just before he was about to go onstage, he refused to [sign] and indicated that he would never sign it." |
"All they care about is getting on stage," Milano says. "They don't care about being honest. So we need them off the bill." |
Senator Duane, who is openly gay, agrees. "Randalls Island is a [city-owned] public space. A private promoter cannot use that space if it is not in the public interest," he says. "This music incites violence. It's of concern to the safety of many New Yorkers.". |
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum echoed Duane's view to The News. And while City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a written statement condemning the artists' lyrics as "deplorable," and urged the artists to sign the Act, her statement does not endorse throwing the artists off the bill if they do not. |
Not all gay activists agree with the signing stipulation, or with the involvement of politicians. Longtime activist Bill Dobbs says, "The effort to use the government to interfere with a message, however offensive, is despicable. It's censorship and that's the last thing we need.". |
Alfonso Brooks, promoter of the show, says he feels confident he can get the two artists to sign the document before next Saturday's event. "In the past I've been able to accomplish things that have never been accomplished with these artists," he says. "It might be a little difficult, but not impossible." |
Yet Brooks will not say whether he will bar two of the show's biggest stars from performing if they don't give their signatures. "Everyone keeps pushing this ultimatum at me," he says. "I will not address it." |
That isn't acceptable to the activists, who say they plan to stage a protest at the event if the signatures aren't forthcoming. If so, they also plan to protest a concert by Banton and Elephant Man at Hammerstein Ballroom on Aug. 31. |
"Until the artists begin losing jobs," Milano says, "they're not going to sign." |
"We don't want to destroy their careers," he adds. "We just want them to stop doing these songs." |
Buju Banton, "Boom Bye Bye" (with slang translated):
Boom (as in gun sound) goodbye, goodbye (as in you're dead) / Inna batty boy's head (in a queer's head) / Rude Boy no promote no nasty man (Rude boys don't promote no queer man) / Dem haffi dead (they have to die) ... / Guy come near me / Then his skin must peel / Burn him up like an old tyre wheel. |
Bounty Killer, "Another Level":
S-t Man (queer man) must be drowned and that's a yardy man (Jamaican ghetto man) philosophy. |
"Man a Badman": You know we don't need no promo to rub out dem homo. |
"Look Good": Mi ready fi go wipe out this fag wid pure laser beam. |
| Excerpt From The Reggae Compassionate Act |
"We, the artists of the reggae community, hereby present this letter as a symbol of our dedication to the guiding principles of reggae's enduring foundation ONE LOVE. Throughout time, reggae has been recognized as a healing remedy and an agent of positive social change. We will continue this proud and righteous tradition... |
Artists of the reggae community respect and uphold the rights of all individuals to live without fear of hatred and violence due to their religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or gender. |
While we recognize that our artistic community comprises many different individuals who express themselves in different ways, and hold a myriad of beliefs, we believe firmly that the way forward lies in tolerance. Everyone can keep his own conviction... |
...but it must be clear there's no space in the music community for hatred and prejudice ... To this end, we agree to not make statements or perform songs that incite hatred or violence against anyone from any community." |
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