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Albums with ‘objectionable material’ removed from Kansas libraries
The Kansas attorney general has withheld more than 1,600 compact discs from distribution to state libraries because officials determined the albums promote violence or illegal activity, records show.
The albums removed by Attorney General Phill Kline's office were part of 51,000 discs given to Kansas as part of a nationwide settlement to resolve allegations of price fixing.
The CDs included recordings by 25 musicians, including rap artists such as OutKast and Notorious B.I.G., rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots, and even older acts such as Lou Reed and the 1980s experimental group Devo. Story from CNN |
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| Related reading: |
| City seeks 'anti-gay' album ban |
| The first UK city-wide boycott of albums with "anti-gay" lyrics is being considered in Brighton. Councillors want music retailers like HMV, Virgin Megastore and MVC to stop selling albums with homophobic lyrics in its Brighton branches |
| 23 November 2004 |
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| City demands 'anti-gay' music ban |
| Brighton will be the first UK city to demand that retailers ban albums with "anti-gay" lyrics. The City Council voted unanimously to write to the managing directors of Virgin Megastore, HMV and MVC condemning the music. The council do not have the power to force the stores not to sell the music |
| 27 November 2004 |
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| No apology from 'anti-gay' singer |
| Reggae star Sizzla has refused to apologise for his lyrics advocating violence against gay men, despite his UK tour being cancelled after protests. Sizzla is not allowed into the UK while the Home Secretary examines concerns raised by gay rights group OutRage! |
| 25 November 2004 |
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| 'Anti-gay' lyrics inquiry starts |
| The government is considering banning reggae star Sizzla from the UK. Meanwhile detectives are investigating claims that lyrics penned by eight leading reggae artists incite violence against homosexuals and are therefore illegal. |
| 03 November 2004 |
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| United Kingdom: Reggae concert banned over lyrics |
| Jamaican singer Buju Banton has been banned from playing a concert in Manchester after protests over his allegedly homophobic lyrics. Greater Manchester Police cancelled the gig as previous performances "suggest a likelihood of public disorder" |
| 23 September 2004 |
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| Australia: New censorship codes imposed |
| Robyn Riley, Far North Queensland's answer to Tipper Gore, is a shining example of how one person can make a difference. A Christian activist and fanatical letter writer, Riley believes song lyrics cause suicide, murder and teen behavioural problems |
| 01 March 2004 |
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| Beenie Man banned from MTV gig |
| Reggae star Beenie Man - recently accused of "lyrics that are an incitement to homophobic murder and violence" - has been banned from performing at an MTV concert after gay activists planned a protest over the singer's past lyrics |
| 04 September 2004 |
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| Pop lyrics and their censors |
| "Political correctness has imposed a new restraint on free speech." Interview with Freemuse co-chair Martin Cloonan on explicit lyrics and music censorship today |
| 15 January 2004 |
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| Pride and prejudice: 'anti-gay' stars refuse to apologise |
| Their gigs have been cancelled all over the world and their names withdrawn from awards. But Jamaica's dancehall stars refuse to apologise for - or even stop singing - songs that encourage the murder of gay people. Extensive article from The Guardian |
| 10 December 2004 |
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| Reggae stars 'help to spread HIV' |
| International Development Minister Gareth Thomas fears that discrimination against homosexuals is deterring people from being tested for HIV. "A number of artistes are effectively contributing to the spread of HIV by producing reggae and rap songs actually encouraging discrimination" |
| 22 November 2004 |
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| China: "opium song" banned |
| Faye Wong's song In the Name of Love, which includes the lyrics "opium is warm and sweet", will be removed from her upcoming album |
| 30 October 2003 |
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| Singapore upholds Janet Jackson ban |
| Officials in Singapore have thrown out an appeal against a ban on Janet Jackson's album, ‘All For You’. The Publications Appeal Committee, a panel of academics and professionals, decided that the lyrics of the album, particularly one song, Would You Mind, were "not acceptable to our society". |
| 05 June 2001 |
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| Wal-Mart: Market censors and market mechanisms |
| Background information on the biggest retailer in the US. Some Wal-Mart retailers refuse to carry CDs with the Parental Advisory Sticker, a few also go so far as to boycott artists if there is a 'dirty' word, a 'controversial' cover, or 'explicit' lyrics |
| 01 February 2001 |
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| Cameroon: Interview with Lapiro de Mbanga |
| "This is the trial of the voiceless," said singer Lapiro de Mbanga when he was interviewed just a few hours before a court hearing on 24 June 2009 in Douala, Cameroon |
| 03 July 2009 |
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| Cambodia: Ministry outlaws obscene songs |
| The Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has outlawed all songs with 'rude or obscene meanings' in an attempt to reduce the number of rapes and sex crimes |
| 15 April 2009 |
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| 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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| Cuba: Musician Gorki Aguila released |
| After receiving a fine for civil disobedience, punk-rock singer and musician Gorki Águila could walk out of the court room as a free man on 29 August 2008 |
| 30 August 2008 |
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