American Rapper DMX Arrested for Using Profanity During St. Kitts Concert

AP ^ | June 28, 2003 | Clive Baccus

[Mr. Mulliner]

American Rapper DMX Arrested for Using Profanity During St. Kitts Concert
By Clive Baccus Associated Press Writer
Published: Jun 28, 2003

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) - Authorities arrested American rapper DMX on Saturday for using profanity during a concert the night before on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, police said.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was released on bail of $376 until Monday, when he is due in Basseterre Magistrate's Court.

The 32-year-old rapper left the Caribbean island on Saturday afternoon, but he pledged to return for his court date.

"I'll go to court on Monday," he said before leaving. "I just want to thank all my fans for showing the support they did show," he said. "It feels good to get out of jail, but it feels a thousand percent better when you get out of jail to see everybody say they love you."

The rapper, who was nominated last year for a Grammy for best rap solo performance for "Who We Be," performed an hourlong concert Friday night before an enthusiastic crowd of about 3,000 at St. Kitts' annual music festival.

Organizers said they warned DMX he would not be allowed to use obscenities on stage, which is a misdemeanor in this former British Caribbean colony of about 40,000 people.

"There was a contract signed in which it was made very clear long before the arrival of the artists that there are laws in St. Kitts that do not take kindly to the use of indecent language on stage," Information Minister Jacinth Henry Martin said Saturday.

DMX, however, said he signed no such contract, and he would not have performed if he had been forced to censor his language. He did not say where he was going Saturday afternoon.

Last year, DMX was fined and ordered by a U.S. court to make public service announcements for the Humane Society after police found pipes for smoking crack cocaine, a 9 mm pistol and 13 pit bulls on June 28, 1999, at his home in Teaneck, N.J.

DMX pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia in that case.

DMX costarred with the late Aaliyah in the movie "Romeo Must Die" and appeared with Steven Seagal in "Exit Wounds." This year, he co-stars with martial arts heavyweight Jet Li in "Cradle 2 The Grave."

AP-ES-06-28-03 2220EDT

[Mr. Mulliner]

Imagine, a rapper using profanity. What's the world coming to?

[hole_n_one]

'sup?

[Zeroisanumber]

As far as rappers go DMX has some real style and talent.

[Imal]

Last year, DMX was fined and ordered by a U.S. court to make public service announcements for the Humane Society after police found pipes for smoking crack cocaine, a 9 mm pistol and 13 pit bulls on June 28, 1999, at his home in Teaneck, N.J.

And now he's gone so far downhill he's using obscenity on stage!

A tragic, but common tale. It all starts off innocently enough: a crack pipe here, a "nine" there, maybe a little pit bull action on the side. No one ever suspects that these harmless diversions may one day lead them to swear.

Then it happens. DMX may have been doing nothing more than smoking crack and taking some playful pot shots at his pit bulls when the fateful moment came, and he cursed.

From there, he probably started cursing more frequently. Perhaps he was shocked at first, but eventually became used to it. Finally, he started cursing in public, and that's when his friends should have intervened.

And now look where it has landed him: hard time in the hoosegow on St. Kitts. I hope he finds the help he so desparately needs. Perhaps a kind-hearted linguist will take him as a patient.

Hopefully, he'll overcome this terrible obstacle and go on to lead a happy and rewarding life. We can only hope and pray.

Kids, I can't say it enough: Just Say "No" to Obscene Language!

[graycamel]

Looks like those foul-mouthed punks who hide behind the first amendment, which was meant for political speech such as "I voted for Strom Thurmond", don't get away with the "freedom of speech" argument in St. Kitts.

[txzman]

Yeah just perform in the US where obscenities, lewdness, profanity are not only accepted, but encouraged. Toss in some gay wildness and you have all the makings of a hit stage show.

Welcome to America.

[TheEditor]

I've been to St Kitts more than once. The "no profanity" statutes are for real. And believe me, jail is the last place you want to be on that island.

[lib-r-teri-ann]

Well well....%!@#%$%$$$

Y'all gonna make me lose my mind!

Up in here...we sure could use some similar laws. I'm pretty sick of hearing every no-account Neanderthal with no vocabulary let fly a string of obscentities in public as part of their everyday conversation.

[sit-rep]

Anyone who says any rapper has talent and style, is void of any credibility as far as I'm concerned. There is no talent in rap music. You want to start a talent contest for rhyming over engineered sound? Fine rap is far out! Rap is not music and singing talent. It is garbage.

[Zeroisanumber]

I pity anyone who rejects an entire musical style as artisticly void. It might not be your thing, but that doesn't make it not music.

[#3Fan]

I pity anyone who rejects an entire musical style as artisticly void. It might not be your thing, but that doesn't make it not music.

I support the Death Penalty for three crimes: Murder, Rape, and disturbing the peace with loud rap on the radio.

[Old Professer]

The rapper, who was nominated last year for a Grammy for best rap solo performance for "Who We Be,"

I be feelin' like Rip Van Winkle.

[Old Professer]

A lack of melody makes it not music; noise, yes, music, no.

[Mr. Mulliner]

I live and work with delinquent teenaged boys. They love rap and many of them are very good at it so I can't deny that it takes talent to rap well.

But what is objectionable is the content. It's virtually impossible to rap anything that will get airplay and sell decently and not have a smutty vocabulary and be focused almost exclusively on sex and violence. Take away those two subjects and what is there to rap?

[sit-rep]

I'll give you a couple tunes to check out. You may want to have a little in home battle of the bands...

South Side Shuffle- JGiels Band; Fancy Man Blues- Rolling Stones; Space Cowyboy- Steve Miller Band.... Vuaghn, Clapton, BB King. This is music, this is talent in playing music. This is singing talent. This is derived from music of old. Before they had words.

Rap is popular among the mentally challenged in the world.

Go to your next company party and tell the DJ to put on one of your rap songs and be sure to say it is your dedication to the company and it's guests here tonight. Lets see how it goes over...

That might be something to think about as you get older...

[zoyd]

That might be something to think about as you get older...

And we can all guess that you are 'older'. That's a mighty broad brush you paint with.

I'd suggest a listen to the Beastie Boys' "Hello Nasty" album or even "Paul's Boutique", but if you heard note one out of it, you'd probably just start complaining.

I can only guess the things you would have said if you'd been around when Elvis arrived.

[Xenalyte]

Well, I'll be !#$%^&*ed.

[zoyd]

To compare "Space Cowboy" to modern rap... and do suggest it compares favorably.... whoa nelly. That's a good funny.

[sit-rep]

Truth be known, I partial to the Sinatra era for musical talent. I used the fore mentioned so I could relate to more than just the Beasty Boy crowd. Which BTW is predominately Gay.