Gay bars ban rap musix

Beenie Man is referred to as the "King of Dancehall". A nightclub in London says it's been told to stop playing bashment music. The owner of Dice Bar in Croydon claims he's been told the Jamaican music is "unacceptable" by the Metropolitan Police. Roy Seda says he's under so much pressure that he now makes DJs sign contracts not to play the genre.

Police want the club's license reviewed, saying it's "associated with crime and disorder". The Croydon Advertiserexternal says it has seen a letter to Mr Seda. In it, the police accuse the club of playing "what this borough finds unacceptable forms of music". Seda claims officers first voiced their concerns in February.

Gavin Barwell MP: "Very concerning story - will take up with police"external.

Banning anti-gay music will achieve nothing

Steve Reed MP: "on the face of it sounds discriminatory"external. Sean Paul is one of the artists who wouldn't be played under a bashment ban. A statement from the Metropolitan Police says: "We have not requested a ban on any type of music at this venue, however the licensee volunteered not to host bashment music events in order to tackle the issues in his venue and make it safer.

Croydon Council says the club's license is not related to the type of music they play. Bashment refers to all Jamaican music but the term is often used to refer specifically to dancehall. But dancehall has in the past been associated with homophobia, particularly in the '90s.

More recently, insome artists who had previously released anti-gay hate songs signed up to the Reggae Compassion Act which said there is "no place for racism, violence, sexism or homophobia". Image source, Getty Images. Why could banning bashment be discriminatory?