Dancehall deejay Vybez Kartel has decided not to record anti-gay lyrics.
The artiste was at the centre of controversy last month when his homophobic lyrics resulted in him being excluded from this year's MOBO Awards.Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer, 24, and fellow deejay Elephant Man, were removed from the Best Reggae nominations list because of homophobia. In an interview with THE VOICE, Kartel said that his days of expressing anti-gay lyrics are over.
"I decided not to deejay any more songs about the killing of gays. It's just something that we [deejays] have to do. We are living in a tolerant society and we have to get with the times otherwise we won't be up to the time. But we reserve the right to criticise anyone. That lifestyle is not wholesome to my lifestyle, you understand?"
Not angry
Although he's best known among dancehall fans for his sexually explicit numbers Tek... and Picture This, it was his track Guns Like Mine with lyrics "Kartel buss one inna b... bwoy spine," that caused gay pressure group OutRage! to campaign against him and for the MOBOs to ban him.
But Kartel says he wasn't angry about his exclusion.
"They said we were promoting hate lyrics so that's why they took us off the show. But it's just a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation of our lyrics. But that's how it goes. I just take these things in my stride and say, 'No problem'."
Despite his decision to denounce anti-gay lyrics, he remains sure that such lyrics are not directly responsible for violence committed against gays.
"I think that's a myth. I think most gay people are killed by their gay lovers."
Kartel is currently working on a new project which addresses issues such as politics and religion. He's recording the album under the monicker 'Adi the Teacher'.
