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| by rocafan on 3/30/2004 09:31:00 AM |
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Heard on The Radio Had To Share
 Twista was dropped from an Alabama music festival, after city officials threatened to withhold $200,000 from the event if the rapper performed.
Five commissioners in Jefferson County agreed yesterday (March 25) that they would not provide public money for the City Stages festival that is scheduled to take place during Fathers Day weekend in June if the Chicago rapper performed.
The officials said that Twista's lyrics were racially insensitive and anti-woman. Organziers of the festival issued a statement and said that the rapper would have performed clean versions of his songs.
"City Stages has no more important partner than the Jefferson County Commission," the statement read. "Our partner has made us aware they do not regard the hip-hop act Twista as appropriate for this year's festival. We have listened to their concerns, and Twista will not perform at City Stages, even though he was to have played a clean show."
"I think it was a very, very wise decision on their part," Larry Langford, the commission president, told The Birmingham News. "They're trying to build a venue where you can take the whole family and not be caught off-guard. I am delighted they heard our plea and pulled him."
The commission also felt that the rapper's use of the N word was not tolerable and labeled the rapper's music as "filth."
Langford said that he has used the N word to other black people in the past, but said that using the word is "degrading in any context it's used."
"It's a question of decency," Langford said. "Whenever disrespect for women, people or races raises its ugly head, I'm going to speak out - especially when it comes to spending taxpayer money."
Rappers have been the biggest draw for the festival, with Outkast setting the festival's single-day attendance record in 2002. Ludacris also proved to be the biggest draw of last years event.
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