Capleton in Spain November 2008  (Public Domain – Creative Commons)

Capleton has nothing scheduled in the U.S. at this time.

Fuse News: Boston’s Hiberarian Hall pulls plug on contoversial reggae act

How Capleton Got Canceled At Hibernarian Hall in Boston for 11/08/13

If you see that Capleton is scheduled to perform in your area, please show the information below to the venue manager.

Controversial Jamaican dancehall performer Capleton has a history of writing and performing songs that call for LGBT people to be killed.  He also has a history of making homophobic comments from the stage during performances. (See Capleton’s “Kill LGBT” Songs below and Amnesty International USA “’Battybwoys affi dead:’ Action against homophobia in Jamaica”  http://bit.ly/lfBJm4 )

Capleton has songs where he sings about “equal rights and justice for all” (“That Day Will Come”), but he also is known to call for the death of LGBT people from the stage. We don’t know if he understands the contradiction.

Capleton’s manager, Claudette Kemp, denies that he has written or sung songs that call for LGBT people to be killed. They may also tell clubs that Capleton signed an agreement in 2007 (“Reggae Compassionate Act agreement”) in which he promised not to promote hatred and violence. What they don’t tell clubs is that Capleton violated that agreement before the end of 2007. Capleton also claims that his kill LGBT songs are “misunderstood or misinterpreted.” A number of Capleton’s kill LGBT songs are on YouTube and you can listen carefully for yourself and hear the calls for LGBT people to be murdered for yourself. Lyrics of Capleton’s songs are online and some relevant translations are provided below.

Capleton puts on a charity fundraiser in Jamaica every year called “A St Mary Mi Come From.”  This is a good thing that he does and benefits a school and a hospital in Jamaica. At the 2011 “”A St Mary Mi Come From” benefit, the Ruff Kut band performed “Boom Bye Bye,” one of the most infamous murder music songs and Capleton performed “Slew Dem,” in which he says gay men should be dead.  (“Boom Bye Bye” is a song by Buju Banton. For more information about Buju Banton and “Boom Bye Bye” see 20 Years of Musical Mayhem ).

Singing “Slew Dem” at the 2011 “A St Mary Mi Come From” would be another violation of Capleton’s Reggae Compassionate Act Agreement.

Capleton is as homophobic as he always has been and continued singing his “kill LGBT” song “Slew Dem” while touring in 2012. He performed “Slew Dem” at his “A St Mary Mi Come From” fundraiser in 2012 which also featured “kill LGBT” songs from Sizzla.

There is a YouTube video of Capleton violating his Reggae Compassionate Act agreement before the end of 2007. See section “Capleton’s ‘Kill LGBT’ Stage Comments and Violation of his Reggae Compassionate Act Agreement“ below. There is a link to the YouTube video in the section. Using the transcription/translation that is provided, and listening carefully, you can hear the violations for yourself.

At a minimum, a club hiring Capleton to perform should have an agreement with him about singing lyrics or making comments that call for hatred against, violence to and/or murder of LGBT people. Believe it or not, such songs and comments are acceptable in some areas of the world, such as in Jamaica, the Caribbean and some African countries. They are not acceptable in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Capleton and his colleague Sizzla Kolonji are ultra-orthodox Rastafarians (“Bobo Ashanti” or “Bobo Dreads”). They are known as “fyah burn” (“fire burn”) artistes because of their calls to God to burn wickedness. The calls are supposed to be metaphoric, but sometimes people take it literally in the Caribbean and set LGBT people on fire. LGBT people have also been necklaced in the Caribbean. Rastafarians, in general, take the Old Testament of the Bible literally, including Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. They believe these verses of the Bible to be the literal words and commands of God.

Sizzla continues to violate his Reggae Compassionate Act agreement. On February 24th, 2011, at the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Black History concert series in Kingston, Sizzla sang two of his “kill LGBT” songs “Get to the Point” and “Pump Up.” These two songs are in the “Dancehall Dossier,” see link below. On April 24th, 2011, at the “Coke Zero Live on the Waterfront” event in Montego Bay, Sizzla called for the lynching of gays by singing Buju Banton’s “kill LGBT” anthem “Boom Bye Bye.” Sizzla at Coke Zero Live on the Waterfront

What can you do?

Anyone who opposes the promotion of hatred, violence and vigilante killing or lynching should be encouraged to speak out against Capleton and the other “kill LGBT” performers.

If Capleton is scheduled to appear at a club or other venue in your area, talk to the owners or managers of the club or venue. They may not know about Capleton’s history. Give them a link to this webpage. There is a good chance that Capleton and promoters have misrepresented Capleton’s past history to the club/venue owners or managers.

Talk to your local Pride Committee, LGBT Community Center and LGBT media. They can let communities know about the appearance. Polite calls to the club or venue can have an effect. Over the years there have been a number of protests and demonstrations at clubs.

Set up a Facebook page like this one:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/444421732263436/   Use Twitter and other social media to let the communities know that Capleton is coming to town.

When someone who has called for the death of LGBT people comes to a town, someone should speak out against that.

LGBT people and others who support equal rights and fair treatment of LGBT people are often accused of “censorship” when we speak out against “kill LGBT” performers such as Capleton. But it is Capleton and the other murder music artistes who are trying to censor LGBT people. LGBT people are actually killed in Jamaica and once you are dead, you no longer have any “freedom of speech.” Killing someone or threatening to kill someone is the ultimate censorship. It is very effective censorship in Jamaica and the Caribbean, where an LGBT person clearly risks their life if they speak out.

If a murder music performance is not canceled, it is very helpful to have documentation of the performance. Were “kill LGBT” comments made from the stage? Were “kill LGBT” songs performed? Were homophobic songs played between performances? Video and audio documentation is helpful. Be a spy for freedom! Post the homophobic stuff on YouTube. Let us know if the performance is or is not homophobic.

Capleton’s “Kill LGBT” Songs

Capleton has four songs in the “Dancehall Dossier” that call for LGBT people to be killed. The “Dancehall Dossier” is a PDF file at http://bit.ly/9fKHdV I highly recommend the “Dancehall Dossier” to all LGBT people and to everyone who is interested in equal rights.

Lyrics below are all from the “Dancehall Dossier.”

Below the four “kill LGBT” songs is a YouTube video showing Capleton and another dancehall performer, Sizzla, making comments from the stage that LGBT people should be killed. Both are violating their Reggae Compassionate Act agreements not to promote hatred and violence.

You can watch the YouTube video yourself and read the partial transcript of the objectionable comments below. A little patient and careful listening will reward you with a clear understanding of what these anti LGBT performers do while on stage, in addition to singing songs that call for the death of LGBT people.

Capleton may not perform these “kill LGBT” songs or make “kill LGBT” comments from the stage during a particular performance. However, he has broken his Reggae Compassionate Act agreement, on video. He performs in other countries and Jamaica and may be performing “kill LGBT” songs or making “kill LGBT” comments from the stage in these other countries. Other than his broken Reggae Compassionate Act agreement, he has never distanced himself from the “kill LGBT” message of a number of his songs. He could perform one of his “kill LGBT” songs or deliver a rant calling for LGBT people to be killed at any performance, anywhere.

This song is on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbT9i21oO4Q

Complete lyrics at http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song584117-Capleton-Bun-Out-Di-Chi-Chi-lyrics.aspx

Bun Out Di Chi Chi

Bun out ah chi chi, Blood out ah chi chi
Burn out a queer, Blood out a queer

Blood out: as in chop, cut, stab, shoot… is a particularly violent,graphic expression
Batty dem ah fuck and ah suck too much pussy
Queers are fucking and sucking too much pussy

In Jamaica, pussy can refer to oral sex in general, which is also considered sodomy

Blood out ah chi chi, Blood out ah shitty
Blood out a queer, Blood out a shit (fucker)

On YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX09otrQNXQ

Complete lyrics at http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song584123-Capleton-Whoa-New-Way-lyrics.aspx

Whoa!  “New Way”

Sadomite and batty man shot-up….Whoa
Sodomite and queer man, shoot up… Whoa

On YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk_GoM4CaJQ

Note: This song is incorrectly listed as “Give Har” in the “Dancehall Dossier.”

Complete lyrics at: http://www.lyrics007.com/Capleton%20Lyrics/More%20Prophet%20Lyrics.html

More Prophet

“Shoulda know seh Capleton bun battyman
You should know that Capleton burns queers

“Dem same fire apply to di lesbian
The same fire applies to lesbians

“Seh mi bun everything from mi know seh dem gay
Say, I burn everything as long as I know that they’re gay

“All boogaman and sodemites fi get killed
All queers and sodomites should be killed”

On YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03yflYWVhrI

Complete lyrics at http://www.allreggaelyrics.com/post-comments.php?arti_id=1748&cha=C

Hang Dem Up

Yow….String dem up and hang dem up alive
Yow, string them up and hang them up alive

Bare batty man come round yah …
All queers who come around here

Dis mamma earth sey none cyann survive
This mama earth says none can survive.

Capleton’s “Kill LGBT” Stage Comments and Violation of his Reggae Compassionate Act Agreement

In 2007, Capleton signed a Reggae Compassionate Act form. By signing this form, he agreed not to promote hatred and violence. You can see the signed form at http://bit.ly/f5OPlT

Before the end of 2007, on 12/25/07, Capleton (and Sizzla) can be seen violating their RCA agreements in this YouTube video shot at the “GT Taylor Christmas Extravaganza” in Jamaica:  http://bit.ly/bk6FJn

If you listen closely you can hear Capleton say:

3:36 Capleton: “All who bun battyboy and sodomite?” Sizzla performs “Big
Long Guns” (a song to incite murder by gunfire).

Capleton returns:  “All a who a bun battyman n sodomite, show both hands and
you don’t suck  cocky or pussy” and uses chants “tun e up” (a subtle way to
say kill). He  urges participation and indicates that those who don’t are
gay.

6:22  Sizzla: “Kill battyman n sodomite” and continues “Kill dem outa de
place.”

09:45 Capleton: “Battyman fi dead di yuth em right bout  that.”  (“Faggots should die. The youth are right about that.”)

(“Battyboy” and “battyman” are derogatory Jamaican Patois  terms for gay men.
We translate them as “faggot.”  We translate “Battyman fi  dead” as “faggots
should die.”  “Battyman fi dead di yuth em right bout that”  is “faggots should
die the youth are right about that.”)

______________________________________________________________

For some further reading about dancehall, “fyah burn,” homophobia in Jamaica

Sexual acts in Jamaica between two consenting adult men are illegal under their “buggery” laws. This is also true of the other English-speaking, former British colonies in the Caribbean, except for the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The penalty for breaking the “buggery” laws in Jamaica is up to 10 years at hard labour.

Sex between two consenting adult females is not illegal in Jamaica, but many Jamaicans think that it is. Lesbians in Jamaica are subject to assaults and discrimination. They are also subject to “corrective rapes.” Unfortunately, there are also “corrective rapes” in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Jamaica is a deeply religious country and it is about 80% conservative Christian denominations. Jamaica boasts that it has the most churches per square mile of any country in the world.

Rastafarians are a minority religion in Jamaica, perhaps 5% of the population. They believe in the Old Testament of the Bible. They do not eat pork or shrimp per Old Testament teachings. The dreadlocks and beards are also from the Old Testament. The Rastafarians believe in the anti gay teachings of Leviticus 20:13.

LGBT people are discriminated against or despised in all the segments of Jamaican culture: Government, law enforcement, education, churches and in medical care.

The U.S., Canada and the U.K. grant asylum to LGBT people from Jamaica. Gay people are even set on fire or burned alive in their homes in Jamaica. People with AIDS have been “necklaced.”

Suggested Reading:

“Dancehall Dossier” http://bit.ly/9fKHdV

Guernica Magazine “Murder Music” http://bit.ly/gjX4Iu

Time Magazine “The Most Homophobic Place on Earth?”  http://bit.ly/d2Xf

“Homophobia in Jamaica and ‘Murder Music'” http://bit.ly/HHWSmh

“28 LGBT Jamaicans granted asylum in U.S. in 2010? http://bit.ly/g84GcQ

Amnesty International USA “’Battybwoys affi dead:’ Action against homophobia in Jamaica”  http://bit.ly/lfBJm4

Hour.ca “What happened to ‘One Love’?”  http://bit.ly/cHUwYv

Human Rights Watch “All Jamaicans Are Threatened by a Culture of Homophobia”  http://bit.ly/cmYPES

The Atlantic “How AIDS Became a Caribbean Crisis” http://bit.ly/cOSZTH

UK Independent “Jamaica: A grim place to be gay” http://bit.ly/dhHA8y

“BIGGEST BATTYBWOY KILLING ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME”       http://bit.ly/d11aQ4

(The word “batty” means “butt” in Jamaican Patois. “Batty man” is a derogatory term for a gay man in Jamaica and the Caribbean. We translate “batty man” or “batty bwoy” as “faggot.”)

There’s more information about homophobia in Jamaica and the Caribbean and murder music and even more links at 20 Years of Musical Mayhem

Watch these YouTube Videos:

“Thomas Glave – Oslo Freedom Forum 2011”  http://bit.ly/FRpgha

“JAMAICA: TOWARD A QUEER PRAYER,” by Thomas Glave. Delivered, with some changes, at the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2011.  http://bit.ly/147aAGE

“Dr. Evil aka Leftside – My Name Is Dr. Evil (Disturbia Mashup)”   http://bit.ly/HRNgiE

“Batty Boys Need to Stay Far From We” http://bit.ly/cBRGDb

“HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean: A deadly cycle of stigma and secrecy (part 1 of 5)”  http://bit.ly/9gYe6j