Well, it's no fun being a dancehall artist just now - especially if you're one of the homophobic ones. Not only is the increasingly proactive gay rights lobby forcing venues across the UK and US to cancel your gigs, but now International Development Minister Gareth Thomas is accusing you of single handedly spreading the AIDS virus. Well, sort of.
Thomas has told a conference on St. Kitts investigating the AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean that the tendency of certain dancehall artists (he referenced Sizzla Kalonji and Buju Banton) to incite violence against gay people has the side effect of stigmatising the HIV test among heterosexual men which, in turn, means the disease is not being identified and therefore is more likely to spread.
Thomas: "A number of artistes are effectively contributing to the spread of HIV by producing reggae and rap songs actually encouraging discrimination against those who have Aids and encouraging violence against minority groups such as men who have sex with men. These artistes include Buju Banton, Sizzla Kalonji, and others. Yes, we believe in free speech, but nobody in a democracy should be able to incite violence against minorities."