No Action At GWU Show

A number of George Washington University students convinced their school to axe Action Bronson from the Annual Spring Fling concert April 2 after complaints of offensive lyrics.

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An article in The GW Hatchet, the student-run newspaper, and a petition addressed to the GWU Program Board called for the rapper’s removal from the show’s lineup.

Students accused Bronson of misogynistic lyrics, particularly in the song “Consensual Rape” which deals with sexual assault and mutilation of women, and transphobic public statements through social media.

Prior to Bronson’s removal, the Program Board addressed the criticism of the artist by saying on its Facebook that it had “received assurances from Mr. Bronson’s team that (Consensual Rape) will not be performed at Spring Fling. We hope that students will continue to discuss Mr. Bronson and the entirety of his work and decide for themselves whether it has merit.”

Three days later, the Washington, D.C., university announced the concert would instead be headlined by Goldlink. “We apologize…for causing distress over the past few days and for attempting to bring an artist who is not consistent with our values of diversity and inclusion,” the Program Board said.

Bronson issued a statement on his Facebook apologizing to those he has caused discomfort and pain. In it he says that the stories he tells, the characters he plays and the lyrics he lays down are not meant to be taken literally. He further explained he has never performed “Consensual Rape” live and does not plan to, and that he has “sat with members of the LGBT community recently in an effort to understand how to avoid being hurtful and insensitive towards these issues moving forward.”

The spirit of his most recent statement is markedly different from a previous apology issued in March 2012, in which Pitchfork reported him saying “I was stupid and I apologize for any hurt caused. In closing I still don’t give a fuck what anyone [thinks] I love everyone and Blow Me from the Back.” 

 

To the Students at George Washington University and the public at large:I’m writing this letter to hopefully bring…

Posted by Action Bronson on Thursday, March 31, 2016