Controversial Jamaican reggae artist Beenie Man has been announced as part of the 2016 Raggamuffin lineup. Beanie Man whose real name is Moses Davis has in the past sung lyrics such as "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays” and he has been said to have sung about wanting to cut the throats of all gay men, killing gay DJs, and hanging lesbians. He was dropped from the 2010 Big Day Out lineup following a mass storm of protest against the artist. Raggamuffin is Australasia’s premier reggae and roots festival and after seven years in Rotorua the festival will be held at Auckland’s Trust Stadium in February. The lyrics to his 2002 song Bad Man Chi Chi Man (Bad Man, Queer Man) say in Jamaican dialect: "If yuh nuh chi chi (queer) man wave yuh right hand and (NO!!!)/If yuh nuh lesbian wave yuh right hand and (NO!!)/Some bwoy will go a jail fi kill man tun bad man chi chi man!!” In 2012 the singer released a Youtube video apologising for his homophobic lyrics and said; "I have nothing against no-one, I respect each and every humanbeing, regardless of race or creed, regardless of religious belief and regardless of your sexual preference, including gay and lesbian people." He went on to say "Do not fight against me for some song that I sing 20 years ago, there's no-one in this world who is the same person as they was 20 years ago - I'm not." In a following interview with VLAD TV he said “it’s not like I support the gay lifestyle but I cannot condemn it because everyone has the right to decide his own destiny", he went on to say that he is now much more mature and didn't mean to offend anyone so he needed to apologise for anyone he did offended over the years. Following an exclusion from the 2004 MTV Music Awards he issued an apology stating: "While my lyrics are very personal, I do not write them with the intent of purposefully hurting or maligning others, and I offer my sincerest apologies to those who might have been offended, threatened or hurt by my songs.” In 2007 he reportedly signed the 'Reggae Compassionate Act' to renounce homophobia and 'Stop Murder Music’ along with several other high profile musicians. He later told the Jamaica Observer that he had not signed the deal, and could not promise to abide by it. You can view Beanie Man's 2012 apology video below:
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 27th October 2015 - 7:10pm