Hip Hop is no stranger to controversy, as artists from NWA to Luke have come under fire for eye raising lyrics. California group Kottonmouth Kings are the most recent to be added to the list.
The group—who will release The Green Album in October—are under fire after a performance in Vail, Colorado over lyrical content. Citizens of the small town filed complaints after the culmination of the show, which also featured Snoop Dogg.
In a story published by the Vail Daily entitled “Keeping Vail’s Concerts Clean,” the Kings were blasted for condoning illegal behavior. Promoters of the show were told to “take another look at who they allow to perform during both ticketed and free concerts in city limits.”
Vail Special Events CoordinatorSybil Navas sounded off on the incident, saying, “We would prefer that they were not brought back under the town’s sponsorship.”
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The Kings refused to take the incident lying down. Group front man Brad “Daddy X” recently penned an open letter to the Vail Daily.
“God bless America! In 2008 and we are still talking about censoring artists. I bet these right wing zealots have quite a porn collection stashed in their closets. While we are at it let’s ban dirty dancing, lock up the TV and close down the movie theaters. Let’s ban Olympic athletes from competing if they protest the Chinese government, let’s cover women with veils from head to toe in garments so they are not provocative. I understand a free community production and family entertainment (I even have a young daughter of my own), but the Kottonmouth Kings concert had a cover charge to get in; we didn’t force anyone to be there.
“Come to think of it church is free, maybe we should put censorship stickers on bibles, because in the pages seems to be a lot of rhetoric about war violence, rape, incest and sex, so I hope they don’t let their children hear that stuff.
“It’s funny how people get upset about a group like the Kottonmouth Kings (who spread a message of peace and good vibrations), yet when we were in town there was a bar on every corner and more drunk idiots roaming the streets then I can count. Goes to show you that alcohol is America’s drug of choice.”
