The ‘music culture and gun crime’ debate was rekindled yesterday by Neil Fraser, founder of the London recording studio Ariwa Sounds who has worked with the likes of Massive Attack and Sade during his long career. Writing in the Telegraph he accused the BBC of contributing to the rise in gun crime by playing music that “glorifies the gun, homophobic aggression, male chauvinism and drug culture” on Radio 1 and black music station 1Xtra.
“The producers of BBC Radio 1 ragga and hip hop shows should share some of the guilt every time a black youth dies by the gun in Britain," he wrote, singling out Goldfinger’s show on Radio 1 and various programmes on 1Xtra as promoting violence in the black community. "BBC1Extra has several programmes that encourage gun violence and a general ignorant agro within the black community. There is no programme of positive black awareness and there are no music programmes reflecting the large influence roots, lovers rock, jazz and dub had on Britain."
Calling for a rethink at both the BBC and MTV he said: "We in the black community have the problem. David Blunkett cannot solve it. Responsible people in the community have got to take up their positions to influence the youths the right way".