Lupe Fiasco Booted from Pre-Inaugural Celebration After Performing Anti-Obama Lyrics
What did they expect from someone who's called President Obama a terrorist?
The Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco was invited to a "private" pre-inaugural celebration by "StartUp RockOn," some sort of start-up networking thing, and was escorted off stage by security while performing an anti-war song. According to MTV News:
When the rapper took the stage during Sunday's StartUp RockOn concert at the Hamilton Live in Washington, he performed his 2011 track "Words I Never Said," but its controversial message may have led to an early ejection from the show for the opinionated rapper…
As he was jamming out, the lights were turned out on him but the band continued to play. Then, a security guard came onstage and attempted to escort the rapper offstage while a camera guy got in the mix, trying to film the encounter. Eventually Lupe and his team walked off the stage, with the crowd shouting his name as he waved to the room one last time.
The content of Lupe Fiasco's lyrics shouldn't have come as a surprise, after all he's called President Obama a terrorist for his foreign policy. Nevertheless, StartUp RockOn denied the rapper was removed over what he said, instead attacking his performance as a "bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied."In the same breath the organizers claim to be "staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech," but in fact censorship based on perceived aesthetic value seems is little more than an attempt to avoid accusations of political censorship.
Video, with what looks like a crowd interested in the performance, below:
At least he didn't lip sync.