Suspect in 4 Killings Posted Violent Rap Songs

As controversy over Buju Banton's (Banton is pictured at left) scheduled performance this week at the NORVA Theater continues to swirl, news of brutal murders in sleepy Farmville, Virginia, suggest that violent songs about murder and violence can just maybe lead to terrible consequences. Banton can say whatever he wants, but sing about shooting gays and throwing acid on the victims bodies may be all that some deranged folks need to put them over the edge - especially when such performers appear at what are allegedly respectable venues. I continue to hope that the NORVA will see the light and if the venue doesn't, the planned protests at the theater will bring the NORVA some less than flattering media coverage. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot about a case of song lyrics becoming reality:

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Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III rapped about the thrill of murder in songs he posted on the Internet. Police believe the fantasy lyrics became a gruesome reality in a small Virginia college town. McCroskey, 20, was being held Sunday in the killings of four people who were found at a Longwood University professor's home near campus in Farmville, which is about 50 miles west of Richmond. McCroskey, of Castro Valley, Calif., faces charges of first-degree murder, robbery and grand larceny of an automobile, said Farmville police Capt. Wade Stimpson.

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The aspiring rapper in the underground horrorcore genre, which sets violent lyrics to hip-hop beats, was arrested Saturday at a Richmond airport, where authorities believe he was trying to catch a flight back to California. A day earlier, authorities discovered the bodies in the home of Debra S. Kelley, an associate professor of sociology and criminal justice studies, school spokeswoman Gina Caldwell. Authorities have not released the names of those killed or said how they died. McCroskey recorded songs that spoke of death, murder and mutilation under the name Syko Sam.

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"You're not the first, just to let you know. I've killed many people and I kill them real slow. It's the best feeling, watching their last breath. Stabbing and stabbing till there's nothing left," McCroskey sings in "My Dark Side."

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I am all for free speech, but do we really need such vile garbage being sung on the airwaves? It is beyond sick - just like Banton's songs about murdering gays.

Six More U.S. Venues Cancel On 'Kill Gays' Artist

While the NORVA Theater in Norfolk, Virginia, has yet to do the right thing and and cancel Buju Banton's scheduled appearance on September 25, 2009, additional venues in other cities have cancel appearances of the "kill gays" performer. GLBTLive is planning a protest against Banton's appearance at the NORVA which will hopefully generate some Media coverage not flattering to the NORVA if it persists in providing a venue to hate speech such as Banton's. I will be at the NORVA tonight to support Margaret Cho and will have literature with me condemning Banton's appearance. The owners of the NORVA have always been known to be out to make a buck, but I doubt the theater would host a performer who advocated the murder of blacks or Jews. Here are some highlights from On Top Magazine on other cancellations:

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Amid increasingly boisterous protests from gay rights groups, six additional tour dates by controversial Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton have been canceled, whittling down his U.S. tour considerably. Last month, gay activists managed to shut down six shows. Cancellations at four House of Blues venues joined scrapped appearances in San Francisco, at the Regency Ballroom, and Los Angeles, at Club Nokia. The tour's first performance at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia was greeted with a loud protest last week.

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“We condemn this hate speech and his call to violence against gays and lesbians, and we also condemn the exploitation of our community in song for profit,” said Thom Cardwell, a board member of the Gittings Trust, a Philadelphia-based gay rights group.

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Banton's 1992 hit Boom Bye Bye advocates for the murder of gay men by shooting them in the head with a submachine gun and pouring acid on them to “burn him up bad like an old tire wheel.” Banton has dismissed the controversy, saying he penned the lyrics when he was “a child” of 15. But the thirty-six-year-old reggae artists has never repudiated the lyrics and continues to perform the song.

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In Salt Lake City, pressure from gay activists closed down a scheduled October 8 performance at Urban Lounge, a downtown venue. “When initially scheduling the Buju Banton event, we were unaware of his hateful anti-gay message,” Will Sartain, co-owner of the club, said in a statement. “Upon further review, Urban Lounge has decided to cancel the event. We strive for peace and understanding in our community. We support the rights of all. We have made this decision on moral grounds.”

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Will the NORVA do the right thing and cancel Banton's appearance? Time will tell.

Prevent Buju Banton From Appearing at The NORVA in Norfolk, Virginia

I was horrified to learn via an e-mail from a friend that Jamaican gay hating performer Buju Banton is scheduled to appear at The NORVA theater located at 317 Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia on September 25, 2009. Yes, this is the same Buju Banton I wrote about a few days ago who advocates in his songs violence against and the murder of gays. Several concert venues have canceled his performances because of his violent song lyrics. I am shocked that The NORVA would book someone so vile. Would the NORVA book a performer who sang about murdering blacks or Jews? I suspect not. The standard should be no different with Banton. I am encouraging people to contact the NORVA and make it known that booking Banton is NOT acceptable. Here is the contact information to voice your concerns:

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Tel: 627-4547
Fax: 622-2829
E-mail: questions@thenorva.com

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Here's the text of the e-mail I received that says it well:

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Do we really need a concert in Norfolk, VA where the performer’s hit song is about shooting minorities and pouring acid on them?
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Buju Banton is coming to the Norva 9/25. His hit song, “Boom Boom Bye” said that “batty boys”, a slur for homosexuals, should be shot in the head and have acid poured on them.
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Is this an image of Norfolk’s performing arts that you are proud of? How on Earth can this be allowed to take place? This is no different than the KKK singing about lynching African Americans or Neo Nazis singing about how great it is to put Jewish people in concentration camps.

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I am embarrassed and disgusted that such a thing is taking place in a location I call home. What can be done to cancel this revolting event? I am ashamed for Norfolk.

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I fully concur with my friend's outrage and have put out the word to as many people as possible locally to raise a ruckus with The NORVA.