Action-Bronson-pic

Action Bronson show cancelled due to controversial lyrics

Words by Christine Sheridan

Action Bronson‘s forthcoming free performance at Canada’s North By North East festival has been cancelled. Due to perform on June 21, the New York rapper is the subject of a petition founded by Canadian woman Erica Shiner.

Shiner has taken to change.org to gather more than 42 000 signatures in support of the cancellation. The grounds for her petition was hate speech – specifically, offensive and controversial lyrics found in Bronson’s music.

She describes the rapper’s music as “glorifying gang-rape and murdering women”, referencing these lyrics in the track Consensual Rape:
“Then dig your shorty out cuz I geeked her up on molly
Have her eating dick, no need for seasoning
If seven dudes are in the room then she’s pleasing them
Like a trooper. Hit her in the pooper. Throw her in the shower
Then I take her out to Lupa I’m kinky, I’ll hit it even if it’s stinky
Put em in the shower, make the pussy brand new Ran through.
Give ’em money what I can’t do Stuff her lunchbox & burn her with the candle”

She also posts the video clip to the song Brunchin which “the artist cooks a meal over a woman’s dead body, rolls her up in a carpet, throws her in his trunk, and proceeds to violently stab her when he discovers she’s still alive (trigger warning, obviously)”

At first, the festival showed their support for the rapper, real name Ariyan Arslani. They released a statement saying saying that every artist has “the right to express their views through music, but those views belong to them and them alone.”

Their view has now changed however, and the gig has been cancelled. NXNE representatives responded to the petition with a statement announcing, “as annual guests in this space we feel we must accede to the strong wishes of the community and honour their input.”

The festival has invited Bronson to play at a different (paid) venue, where individuals can decide whether or not they would pay to see him.

Bronson has reacted strongly to this petition through his twitter:

Screen Shot 2015-06-01 at 8.52.44 PM

What do you think? Should he have been cancelled?