The Beat: Hate and pride, no harmony

MELISSA RUGGIERITimes-Dispatch columnist An anti-gay reggae singer performing in Richmond the same day as the Gay Pride Festival.

Can you get more ironic?

And now the performance has been moved to a new venue that, in its previous incarnation, became the target of a thorny argument with the NAACP.

Does the "even bad publicity is good publicity" adage apply, or is the Hat Factory treading foreboding waters?

A few days ago, most of you probably never heard of Buju Banton, the Jamaican dance hall-reggae singer who, in 1992, released the song "Boom Bye Bye," which contains despicable lyrics about shooting and pouring acid on gay people.

But now, after a national squeak turned into a local uproar that was then promulgated by the media (guilty as charged), Banton has received more publicity, ink and airtime than he has probably gotten in his 18-year career.

Wouldn't ignoring this guy and his misguided ideas about mankind have been more detrimental to his career than showering him with attention?

A few weeks ago, mega-promoters Live Nation and AEG Live canceled their national dates with the performer after a fervent campaign from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center called for a boycott.

Local promoter King Walker of Lion Heart Promotions, the guy bringing Banton to Richmond on Sept. 26 (and it's genuinely a coincidence that it falls on Gay Pride Fest day), has several times over the years booked the singer for shows at The NorVa in Norfolk.

Banton is again scheduled to play The NorVa, which shares some booking and management with The National, on Sept. 25. So far, no discernable protests have erupted.

Members of the Gay Community Center in Richmond, however, want Banton to stay out of the city, and they have vocally -- and via social networking -- made their feelings clear.

Jay Squires, president of the GCC, said he appreciates the show being moved out of The National, where it was originally scheduled until Walker shifted it to the Hat Factory late Monday night, but, "it doesn't change the situation one bit."

"Our purpose was to get the show out of Richmond, and that hasn't been accomplished yet," Squires said. "It seems an unusual business decision to book this show knowing now how the community feels about it."

Mitch Warnecke, general manager of the Hat Factory, noted that the venue is merely rented as a location for a show.

"Music is a form of art, and we try and not censor people's messages or art, nor hold their past art against them," Warnecke said. "This was in no way intended to be damaging or hurtful in any way whatsoever toward the bi, gay and lesbian community, and we support their beliefs as well."

Walker, meanwhile, told members of the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music in May that he promotes artists whom people demand to see, or he won't make any money.

Banton's words in the 17-year-old "Boom Bye Bye" could never be condoned.

But why is his hatred being nationally protested when it isn't any different than the offensive words of bigotry and racism spewed and suggested by so many rappers, rockers and even a country singer, such as David Allan Coe, who has performed in Richmond several times without incident and is booked at the Hat Factory next month?

Squires said the distinction is that although Coe could be labeled crude, "to my knowledge, he's never stood on a stage and called for people to be maimed or killed."

Currently, there is a layer of vagueness about Banton's attitude toward the gay community.

His record label, which he owns, was quick to remind that "Boom Bye Bye" was written when Banton was 15 and that he no longer performs the song.

However, a quick YouTube scan pulls up a clip of the singer gruffly and unintelligibly -- spouting what is said to be "Boom Bye Bye" at a 2006 music festival in Miami.

And, as Squires points out, the song is still available on Banton's compilation CDs, which means he technically receives money for "Boom" every time a disc is purchased.

But Squires also offers a suggestion that would force Banton to acknowledge an acceptance of the gay community:

"If he wants to renounce his royalties [from the song] and donate them to some worthy organization, that would be taken into consideration."

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or . Follow her at http://twitter.com/MRuggieri