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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 26 June 2008

Grooves

NEWS that Lethal Bizzle, a common face around these parts, was the victim of racist abuse at a music festival – and that Jay-Z could expect the same at Glastonbury – has come as a shock.
Apparently the rapper, known for his cross-over appeal in the grindie (grime and indie) scene, was playing a heavy metal festival, Download, when he had stuffed monkeys and banana skins inscribed with racist words thrown at him.
Bizzle told the crowd: “We got set up didn’t we? But we’re still gonna play.”
It does make me wonder about the sense in changing the “focus” of the RISE festival which takes place in Finsbury Park on July 13, from campaigning against racism to “celebrating diversity”. I put the quotation marks in because that’s how it was described to me by the press officers at the Mayor of London’s office.
I don’t think one festival can make a difference, but Bizzle’s treatment – and the possibility of Jay-Z getting grief this Saturday – does make it more significant.
Bizzle blamed the incident on an intolerance of hip-hop in the rock community. You only have to listen to kids on the bus to know hip-hop is already a mainstream genre – and if anyone’s going to prove that, it’s Jay-Z, the nicest man in rap.
Glastonbury will not be a washout.

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