Thu. August 26, 2004
London, England -
OutRage!, a British gay rights group, is appealing to members of the LGBT world community to email the MOBO Award Organizers to protest the acceptance of nominations for Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel in the 'Best Reggae Act' category," said Brett Lock of OutRage!, which is helping coordinate an international campaign to "stop murder music".
"Both Jamaican singers have put out songs inciting the murder of lesbian and gay people. Both regularly do concert tours of the US, the UK and continental Europe.
See sample lyrics below - underneath each line of Jamaican patois is a translation into standard English.
"It is vital that lesbians and gays send a clear message to the MOBOs that rewarding singers who advocate the shooting and beating of 'batty men' and 'chi chi gals' is unacceptable," said Mr Lock.
Please email your protest to the chief executive of the MOBO Awards: Kanya King - kanya.king@mobo.com
The Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards is one of the world's most prestigious music industry awards. It takes place on 30 September at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There is still time to secure the withdrawal of these artists' nominations.
The full lyrics follow:
ELEPHANT MAN
Elephant Man - A Nuh Fi Wi Fault
Battyman fi dead! Queers must be killed!
Please mark we word Please mark my words
Gimme tha tec-nine Give me the Tec-9 Tec-9: semi-automatic assault pistol
Shoot dem like bird Shoot them [queers] like birds
Elephant Man - We Nuh Like Gay
Battyman fi dead! Tek dem by surprise Queers must be killed! Take them by surprise
Get a shot inna yu head, inna mi big gun collide. I am going to shoot you in the head, you are going to meet up with my big gun
Gimme me Tec-9 General B, wid de chrome wah a shine Give me the Tec-9 General B, the one with the chrome that shines Tec-9: semi-automatic assault pistol General B: a music colleague of Elephant Man's
Harry Toddler shot out ah bugger-man Harry Toddler: shoot all queer men Harry Toddler: a music colleague of Elephant Man's
Elephant Man - Log On
Log on and step pon chi chi man Log on and step on a queer man Log on is a type of dance using the right foot in a stepping motion as if to squash a cockroach - the lyrics boast about crushing queers.
Dance wi a dance and a bun out a freaky man. Join our dance and let's burn out the queer man
Step pon him like a old cloth Step on him like an old cloth
A dance wi a dance and a crush out a bingi man . Join our dance and let's crush queer men
Do di walk, mek mi see the light and di torch dem fast Do the walk, quickly let me see the lighter and torch lighter and torch: makeshift aerosol flame thrower weapon
VYBZ KARTEL
Vybz Kartel - Bedroom Slaughteration
Bow cat, sodomite, batty man fi gat assassination (Yeah) Oral sexer, lesbian and queer must be assassinated (Yeah)
Vybz Kartel - Guns Like Mine
Kartel buss one inna batty bwoy spine Kartel puts one in a queer's spine one: a bullet
Vybz Kartel - Sen On
Faggot fi get copper to di heart Faggot must get copper to the heart Copper: bullet
Batty bwoy stand up anna talk and man a park A queer stands talking to a man in a park
Don run anybody wey fuck batty Don't chase away the man who fucks arse
Me a shot e I am trying to shoot him He is saying that if the queer is chased way he won't be able to shoot him
From yuh faggy Waterford If you are from faggoty Waterford Waterford: a place in St Catherine, Jamaica
A wet yuh up wid di Maggy I shoot you with the Magnum Magnum: a brand of gun
From yuh funny, yuh a guh bury If you are funny (queer), you get buried buried: as in killed
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