Rapper Pope Bron The NZ AIDS Foundation says it will be talking with a Get It On Big Gay Out rap performer whose lyrics caused offense this afternoon. It says he was asked before he went on stage to tone down his material. Gay rapper Pope Brons' rhymes included phrases such as "20 bitches on my dick, 20 bitches on my shit" and repeated use of the word "faggot." During his performance many people walked away from the stage area and those who remained were generally disbelieving and offended. "Rap is an art form, it's reflective of life," explained NZAF spokesperson Mike George. He says the Foundation was aware the rapper's lyrics could be extreme "so before he went on we tried to ask him to tone down his lyrics... We're sorry if those lyrics caused offense but there's not a lot we can do in the middle of an event. He would not comment specifically on lyrics such as "20 bitches on my dick" delivered to an audience which had been encouraged to bring their children, but says the "faggot" references were in the context of "I used to be called a faggot." As the thousands of glbti people and their friends and supporters left the park the mood was generally upbeat and most appeared to have had an enjoyable, if tiring, day. Of a small sample of people heading home asked about the rapper's lyrics a lesbian couple walking with their children said they did not come to a glbti event to hear women called bitches, and a young gay man "originally from the King Country" said if he wanted to hear the word "faggot" shouted he could go back to his home town school.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 10th February 2013 - 7:46pm