Like Pablo Hasél, Spain wants me jailed for rap lyrics – but artists must not self-censor

 The arrest of Pablo Hasél this month, a Spanish rapper who has been convicted of glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy in his lyrics, didn’t marvel me. whilst i used to be 18, I wrote a rap tune about the Spanish king, the police arrested me and i used to be sentenced to 3 and a 1/2 years in jail. The day they got here to take me to jail, I fled to Belgium and have been right here ever considering, notwithstanding the best efforts of Spain to have me extradited. It appeared like a comic story – nearly 4 years in prison for a music. but it wasn’t: there are 18 rappers in Spain going through jail for similar costs.AZlyrics

Rap song has a protracted history of explaining truths and telling testimonies. Hip-hop comes from the usa, where it reflects the craze of Black americans: it tells us approximately their experiences, their struggles and the violence they've suffered. In my song, I communicate about going towards strength. I don’t need to label myself and my views however i am on the left wing: i'm in favour of human rights and in opposition to the tyranny of economic power. Like drill rappers within the uk, or hip-hop artists in the US, i have a duty to talk approximately what I see round me.Rap also has a history of speaking about people who fight for what they believe in, inclusive of those who use palms. Hasél has the equal proper to talk in his lyrics about [Basque separatist group] ETA as a theatre director does, or a e-book writer. Hasél has the identical right to do what he does as Quentin Tarantino does to expose violence in his films, or Nabokov did to jot down approximately a man infatuated with a toddler. music isn't a political pamphlet or a piece of writing in a newspaper – it's miles fiction; it’s art.

humans communicate about freedom of expression in Spain after they communicate approximately my case, or Hasél’s. but Spain doesn’t have a trouble with freedom of expression – it has a hassle with freedom of ideology. There are human beings in Spain who talk about how it's far good enough to kill women; who say that trans people aren’t people; who are in opposition to homosexual marriage. Spain changed into below a dictatorship 4 many years in the past. And we haven’t executed the same work to address our beyond that they've achieved in Germany or Italy. in case you don’t research out of your past, you are condemned to repeat it. Spain’s modern government has pointed out abolishing the “gag law”, introduced by means of the previous government, which restricts freedom of expression. but they haven’t completed whatever about it.

The worst kind of censorship is self-censorship. In Spain, a few rappers have started to censor themselves because they don’t want to visit jail. human beings are scared to write songs that get up to power. And that’s absolutely sad. In a democracy, inside the 21st century, governments need to support track, even if it is going in opposition to power and it makes them uncomfortable. remaining yr, I made an album, EPD, with funding from the Belgian government. they're giving me cash to do precisely what the Spanish authorities desires to forestall me from doing.

The instances we've visible in Spain – Hasél’s case, my personal and the 18 others dealing with jail – are the sorts you spot in Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or China. It shouldn’t appear in a democracy. inside the US, Madonna as soon as mentioned blowing up the White residence and she didn’t visit prison. however matters have become worse round the world and censorship is growing. That revolts me. You should never use jail to silence an artist. If they say something you don’t like, then you may pass and protest outside their gigs, you can criticise them and you can pass and acquire signatures against them. you may oppose them in many ways. but you can’t – you mustn’t – use a jail sentence.

I’ve done plenty of interviews over the past few days, and plenty of the Spanish and Catalan media want to talk about the violence at current demonstrations. however that’s now not the point: demonstrations are a way to make change; social actions, team spirit and agency can result in development. most effective the human beings can shop the human beings. that is what we have usually seen, throughout records.

I do now not assume an excessive amount of about my personal future. i'm reading, I’m getting to know French and English, and i am focused on being right here in Belgium. If someday i'm able to pass again to Spain, i will think about that then. but I need to stay my lifestyles, now not the lifestyles a decide says I need to stay. If I had sincerely performed some thing wrong, Belgium might have extradited me. but they haven’t.

There are severe issues in Spain: the police used violence on human beings in Catalonia who have been trying to vote in a referendum; the those who arranged the referendum are in jail; and Spain has a number of the best stages of poverty amongst young human beings in Europe. In Spain there is lots of poverty, lots of police violence, lots of corruption. And it is totally right that humans need to make songs protesting about that.

• this text became amended on 1 March 2021. Hasél has been convicted of glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy, no longer merely accused, as an earlier model said.

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