Harry's Place

Gun and knife crime is a significant problem in some of the poorer neighbourhoods of Britain and gang related violence blights some parts of Britain’s black communities in particular.

You might think that the BBC would be the last place you would find glorification of shootings carried out by young black males, often against other young black males, but you’d be wrong.

Sarah has highlighted a recent case in which the BBC chose to censor a lyric about Palestine for fear that it might prove ‘controversial’. Given this, it seems strange to say the least that lyrics such as the following are broadcast uncensored on BBC 1Xtra:

Here’s a recording of Skepta on 1Xtra, which includes lines such as:

So when you’re talkin like you can’t die

One bullet in each lung

Breathe then

See you’re sounding wheezy

And:

Man keep testing my patience

So A&E make way for the patients

Another 1Xtra recording, chosen at random from YouTube, includes lines such as:

And people can’t step on my block mate

You get popped and left with a shot face

And:

Get back I’m a let my gat go

Got a itchy finger, I’m a leave a fat hole

Why does the BBC consider a line about Palestine too controversial to air, while seemingly considering lyrics glorifying gun crime to be perfectly acceptable?

Update:

I’m anti-censorship as a general principle and people have widely misinterpreted what I’m saying.

My point is that a rapper says ‘Free Palestine’ and this is then censored as it is seen as ‘controversial’. Other rappers talk about how cool it is to put bullets in each other and apparently that’s not controversial.

I’m pointing out an irony and also noting that the ‘establishment’ BBC apparently doesn’t care when lyrics glorifying a serious problem amongst the young in certain inner city areas are broadcast under its banner. They wouldn’t air lyrics advocating race-hate crimes, so why these crimes? And if political lyrics need blanking out, surely these do too?

Either that or blank out neither. By saying OK to gun crime lyrics but no to politics it seems to me the BBC is saying one is a ‘difficult’ topic while the other isn’t.

Odd.