The Associated Press reported Wednesday that concert organizers had cancelled a reggae-themed benefit for HIV/AIDS that would have taken place at Webster Hall this week because of the allegedly homophobic lyrics of performers Beenie Man and T.O.K. The Reggae Gold 2006 Summer Jump Off, which was to have been part of the Hearts And Voices concert series, was put together by the AIDS awareness organization LIFEBeat, which, according to its mission statement, "mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and funds in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and to provide support to the AIDS community." In addition to T.O.K. and Beenie Man, performers would have included Foxy Brown, Wayned Wonder and Sasha And Kulcha Don. However, according to various sources, when bloggers objected that Beenie Man and T.O.K. had homophobic song lyrics, the organizers cancelled the event. Gay.com reports that "black gay bloggers... say they scored a victory in quickly mobilizing the community." Bloggers have reported that in Jamaican slang, "chi chi" is the equivalent to "queer" or "faggot," and Beenie Man and T.O.K. have songs called "Badman, Chi Chi Man," and a ditty about burning "chi chi men," respectively. And, while dancehall lyrics are usually pretty indistinguishable to the untrained ear, songs about incinerating a portion of the audience are probably never a good idea. www.lifebeat.org
