Boycott Bounty and his music of hate

THERE is no more ardent devotee of ragga music and especially Bounty Killer than me. With his snappy "Lord have mercy" catchphrase, his distinctive gravel-edged voice and his lyrical dexterity, the self-proclaimed "Poor People's Governor" was the soundtrack to my youth.

But as a humanist, I have no truck with hate music: the homophobic lyrics with which he has chosen to pepper his songs over the years have helped to create an ugly culture. Lyrics such as "bun a fire pon a puff and mister fagoty" and "you know we need no promo to rub out dem homo" are, quite simply, incitements to murder people because of their sexual orientation.

So the Met's decision to allow Bounty Killer's London concert to go ahead on Saturday is plain wrong. But this furore is indicative of a bigger issue. The elephant in the room is the rampant level of homophobia in the black British community. This is, among straight black people, the issue that dares not speak its name.

Let's not beat about the bush. Ragga music, and with it many parts of Jamaican and black British culture, are steeped in homophobia. From Buju Banton's infamous song Boom Bye Bye to Shabba Ranks's ignominious appearance on The Word when he brazenly advocated the crucifixion of gay people, the genre has had a big problem with intolerance. Songs with appalling homophobia are the norm, and their popularity is worryingly indicative of a wider mindset.

It is both sad and ironic that a people as proud of their African roots as Jamaicans should have imbibed the religious bigotry of their white plantation masters. Even if it's from a music and a culture we love, more heterosexual black people need to take a stand against hate music. And if that means boycotting the concert, and hitting Bounty Killer where it hurts, so be it.

Bounty, you have demonstrated remarkable compassion in your songs to the poor, the disenfranchised and the black oppressed. So why not show some love to another persecuted minority, gays? The Latin playwright Terence (himself a black African slave from Carthage) wrote: "I am a human being, and I consider nothing human alien to me." And yes, Bounty, that includes "batty bwoys"

* Lindsay Johns is a writer and cultural critic on Colourful Radio.