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China:
Authorities censor concert by American rapper
The Chinese government has canceled an upcoming concert by the American rapper Jay-Z. It was due to take place at Shanghai's Hongkou Football Stadium this month
According to a spokesperson for promoter KS Production Company, Sun Yun, China's Cultural Ministry had taken the decision of canceling the rapper's concert because his songs "contain too much vulgar language".
The state-run newspaper China Daily stated: "The Ministry of Culture has decided to protect the city's hip-hop fans from nasty lyrics about pimps, guns and drugs."
Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, is on tour, presently in South Africa. He responded with a statement on the Durban stage in South Africa saying:
"I look forward to rescheduling my concert date in Shanghai. This world tour has been a life changing experience and it has only been made better by touching the fans that I am seeing for the first time.”
This isn't the first time that Chinese authorities have censored a Western pop performance. In April, the Rolling Stones were allowed to perform in Shanghai but only after government officials had approved which songs they could perform. |
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| Related reading |
| China: Western religious music banned |
| Western musicians and tour organisers have encountered difficulties with performances in China due to a tightened political control over the arts and Christianity. |
| 23 October 2008 |
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