Tuesday, 17 November 2009 15:55
I rather feel like the controversy surrounding BIG DAY OUT's pulling of BEENIE MAN from their 2010 festival line-up, was already hacked to death over the weekend... However, an e-mail just turned up in my inbox from Beenie Man's manager, which I do genuinely think is worth a read. We are interviewing him sometime this week, so definitely send us questions if you have any. I am personally most curious to see what he has to say for himself BEYOND the below.
BEENIE MAN has issued the following statement as an apology:
" RE: I DO NOT CONDONE ACT OF VIOLENCE TOWARD OTHERS
I sincerely made a promise to renounce violence towards others and went ahead to sign the Reggae Compassionate Act back in 2007. I have made numerous announcements regarding violence against gays most recently in Spain. We live in a diverse society, the haves, have-nots, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Atheists, light and dark skinned, homosexuals and heterosexuals. At times we wrongly ridicule each other for beliefs. One thing we have in common, we are all human beings and should strive for peace, equality and love. I want my music to bring people together and for them to dance, feel good and enjoy it. People sometimes may misunderstand my lyrics because of slang, metaphors, jargons and dialect; it is not intended to be harmful. In the past I offended others with offensive lyrics, I apologized then and now, I never took back my word. Our world is an interesting place filled with variety and we all have to respect others no matter what race, choices, culture or lifestyle. I am not a supporter of hatred and never was. The press sometimes exaggerate and it’s hard to defend oneself, as I am one man, the magnitude of the hurt may have cut too deep and people feed into the negative. In the entertainment industry we have people with different sexual preferences, I would never seek to hurt or treat them differently. I travel the world and grow with the changes and have learned not to judge people's way of life.
Australia and New Zealand please know that I am sincere and right now I am proposing peace, one world.... One Love regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation and nationality.
Blessings,
Moses Davis aka Beenie Man "