(AllHipHop News) Hundreds of music industry figures from the UK came together to write an open letter on unity, and a call to action on ending racism, after popular Grime artist, Wiley’s anti-Jewish remarks.
Despite his “apology,” Wiley was banished from Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Now, artists, managers, producers, labels, and other companies in the music industry have co-signed a letter, which states “that love, unity, and friendship, not division and hatred, must and will always be our common cause.”
“Whether it be systemic racism and racial inequality highlighted by continued police brutality in America, or anti-Jewish racism promulgated through online attacks, the result is the same: suspicion, hatred and division. We are at our work when we attack one another,” the letter reads.
“From slavery to the Holocaust we have painful collective memories. All forms of racism have the same roots – ignorance, lack of education, and scapegoating,” the letter continues.
The letter is signed by artists such as Naughty Boy, The 1975, Clean Bandit, and even Ed Sheeran’s manager, Stuart Camp.
As the “godfather of grime,” Wiley’s influence in the culture and genre, and the impact he has on his fans is tremendous.
For him to make such atrocious statements against Jewish people was the last straw for his management, who dropped him immediately.
“I’m not racist,” he stated, but too little, too late. It’s been said that the organizers of the letter have encouraged anyone to add their name to the letter as well and there is a growing movement to revoke his MBE Medal after he was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017.
