| Beenie Man, the closest thing that Jamaican dancehall has to an international popstar, has been slammed by gay rights groups for the content of some of his songs. Activist groups have complained that Beenie Man songs like "Bad Man Chi Chi Man" ("chi chi man" is a Jamaican homosexual slur) and "Han Up Deh" contain lyrics that seemingly call for violence agianst gays and lesbians. Such groups have launched protests which have caused the cancellation of a handful of Beenie Man concerts in Europe.
In the past, Beenie Man has dismissed the homophobic lyrics as a part of Jamaican culture, but he has now issued an official statement apologizing for his ways.
"It has come to my attention that certain lyrics and recordings I have made in the past may have caused distress and outrage among people whose identities and lifestyles are different from my own," Beenie Man said in a statement issued by his record label, Virgin. "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. As a human being, I renounce violence towards other human beings in every way, and pledge henceforth to uphold these values as I move forward in my career as an artist."
Despite the apology, some gay rights organizations aren't accepting Beenie's words of remorse. OutRage! have issued a press release in which spokesman Peter Tatchell points out that Beenie does not mention gays and lesbians specifically, but could as easily be apologizing to any group that doesn't jive with Beenie's lifestyle. Tatchell urges Beenie Man to withdraw the CDs with the questionable content from stores and to specifically declare his respect for gays and lesbians.
For now, though, fans will have to weigh their loyalty towards the dancehall superstar on the above apology. Meanwhile, Beenie Man is currently on an extensive tour of the United States. | |
