Controversial dancehall musician Beenie Man, whose past songs featured violently homophobic lyrics, will perform at Tufts today - without much opposition.
Beenie Man will perform as part of the Hip Hop Show at 9 p.m. in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall.
His performance comes the night after the University's Coming Out Day Rally at the campus center.
About a year and a half ago the artist came under fire for offensive lyrics, including this line: "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica / Come to execute all the gays," from his song, "Damn."
Beenie Man was forced to cancel a number of shows, including an MTV appearance, as a result of his lyrics.
According to the VH1 Web site, OutRage!, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights campaign, protested and successfully lobbied for some of Beenie Man's shows to be cancelled.
In response, the Jamaican musician publicly issued a statement of apology.
"It has come to my attention that certain lyrics and recordings I have made in the past may have caused distress and outrage among people whose identities and lifestyles are different from my own," the statement read. "As a human being, I renounce violence toward other human beings in every way."
Both co-chairs of Concert Board - seniors Alice Chiou and Sheena Harris - were unaware of the issue with Beenie Man's lyrics.
"It honestly surprises me," Chiou said. "I hope that it doesn't offend anyone. His music is very popular, and it was a good opportunity for the Concert Board."
Chiou contacted Howie Cusack, the agent Concert Board uses to book acts. Cusack told Chiou the lyrics were no longer an issue.
"The problem was solved and the lyrics aren't a part of the show," Chiou said.
Sophomore Sean Locke, a co-coordinator of the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), was also unfamiliar with Beenie Man's work and said he had mixed feelings toward Beenie Man's performance.
"I disagree with him and I think it's wrong for him to express violence towards homosexuals in his work," Locke said. "But he does have the right to express how he feels to a reasonable extent."
Locke said though he felt that some of Beenie Man's lyrics were beyond reasonable, he understood that Beenie Man had apologized, and that the lyrics would not be included in the show.
Dona Yarbrough, the director of the Tufts Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, declined to comment. She said she did not know enough about the artist or the issue.
Chiou said the administration does not necessarily need to grant permission for the acts that Concert Board hosts. Recently, though, the administration has gotten stricter on issues like profanity, she said.
"A few years ago, we had Less Than Jake, and they were cursing up on stage," Chiou said. "Ever since then, the administration has been more concerned, mainly because of the way the community is affected - so that generally applies to outdoor concerts."
Assistant Director of Student Activities Lynne Stewart said her office relies on the advice of agents in the music industry to find musical groups to bring to campus.
"Our office has been working with one agent in particular for about 20 years who expresses concerns about bands," Stewart said. "He had not mentioned this issue with Beenie Man with us before, and has since told us that these types of lyrics have been stricken from Beenie Man's music as of 18 or so months ago."
