Action Bronson Has Allegedly Been Banned From NXNE

Action Bronson has been banned from performing at Yonge-Dundas Square for Toronto’s Northby Northeast (NXNE) following a petition on Change.org about controversial lyrics from the rapper’s song “Consensual Rape.”

The petition, started by Erica Shiner, claimed that Action Bronson’s lyrics glorify gang rape and the murder of women, reports The Fader. “We are petitioning to have this artist removed from the line-up of this show, on the grounds that he produces hate speech. A musician who glorifies rape and violence against women should not be invited to perform at public space in our city,” said Shiner. This seems to be the first time there’s been controversy around an Action Bronson booking, as he played at SXSW 2015 without issue.

A counter-petition was started soon after by James Friske, who wrote “I call on The city of Toronto, Yonge and Dundas Square Management, and Sponsors to stand up for free speech in the face of censorship by an extremist minority.”

The rapper claims that “Consensual Rape” is a lost track from five years ago and said on Twitter that the song has never been performed. In a statement announcing their choice to cut Action Bronson from the NXNE lineup, the event planners wrote “A significant number of Torontonians have indicated their desire to have Action Bronson not perform at the Square. As annual guests in this space we feel we must accede to the strong wishes of the community and honour their input.” They continued to say they don’t believing in censoring artists and hope to find a ticketed venue for the rapper to perform at in Toronto during the festival. They also add that his latest album Mr. Wonderful, which features tracks like “Baby Blue,” is “excellent.” In response to his being banned, Action Bronson took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the decision, which you can read below.

UPDATE: The directors of NXNE, in their press release, stated that they do not want to limit artistic expression but want to allow many viewpoints to be expressed, so he is banned from Yonge-Dundas Square at this time but will be welcome at a ticketed event during NXNE.