Controversial reggae/dancehall star Capleton has been removed from the February 20th Ragga Muffins Festival in Oakland, after organizers decided the singer's anti-gay lyrics would be inappropriate for the event. According to the Bay Area Reporter, festival co-producer Moss Jacobs has also nixed Capleton's appearances at the upcoming Long Beach and San Diego events. Although Jacobs did not respond to e-mail requests for an explanation, he did hold a phone interview last week during which members of the media read some of Capleton's most controversially anti-homosexual lyrics. Upon hearing the lyrics, he said "We didn't set out to have a show with an artist who is singing these lyrics."According to the Stop Murder Music campaign, some of Capleton's lyrics include lines like "All queers and sodomites should be killed" and "All queers who come around here/This mama earth says none can survive." Strangely enough, Capleton has signed the Reggae Compassion Act, which expressly states that there's "no space in the music community for hatred and prejudice, including no place for racism, violence, sexism or homophobia," and which bars all its signees from making "songs that include hatred or violence against anyone from any community."
This isn't the first time that one of reggae's most high profile stars has stirred controversy in the Bay Area. A Buju Banton performance last October led to protests and outrage from many of San Francisco's LGBT community. Only after Buju met with San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty and other members of the gay community was he permitted to perform.
Capleton's manager, Claudette Kemp, on the other hand, denies that her client espouses the murder of homosexuals, and says that many of his lyrics are in fact based on the Bible. She also suggested that his lyrics had been mistranslated and misinterpreted, adding, "He did not call anyone to kill no gays."
1. You can find out about Capleton and his homophobic songs in the "Dancehall Dossier" http://tinyurl.com/2xax3b
Capleton signed the Reggae Compassionate Act form in 2007. He agreed, by signing this form, not to promote hatred and violence. You can see Capleton's signed RCA form at http://www.petertatchell.net/popmusic/reggaecompassionateact-capleton.htm
Before the end of 2007 he violated his Reggae Compassionate Act agreement. As a consequence he had performances canceled in Basel, Switzerland and in France in 2008.
This PDF file has information about Capleton's violation of his RCA agreement and points to a YouTube video where you can actually see him break his RCA agreement http://tinyurl.com/y873vtm
You have to listen very carefully for lines like: "Battyman fi dead di yuth em right bout that" ("Faggots must die. The youth are right about that.")
Capleton is a performer who has promoted hatred, violence and murder.
In February 2010, Capleton had his performances canceled in California in Arcata, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Oakland and Long Beach. A performance in Crystal Bay, Nevada was also canceled.
Mainly because of religion ("[Jamaica] is a Bible society"), Jamaica is an extremely homophobic country, as are some other former British colonies. Sex between consenting male adults is illegal in Jamaica, with an up to 10 year prison term for conviction.
Posted at 6:41AM on Feb 20th 2010 by Sam Kestu
2. yow wha aguan capleton my brethren? this is it brother u are a true prophet. yes me comming up to the top man with jah the almigthy see u soon man!! keep the fire burnin now aw who dem?. guidance love rastafari from african australian, lion of judah. read revelation chapter 17.
Posted at 8:39PM on Mar 31st 2010 by ndlovblessing
3. REGGAE SINGER CAPLETON BRINGS HIS HOMOPHOBIC MESSAGES TO SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BAY AREA FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26. IS THIS THE MESSAGE WE WANT TO SPREAD FOR THANKSGIVING! LETS UNITE
Posted at 12:50PM on Oct 28th 2010 by LASHAWN