If you’re drum & bass fan, then you already know that this weekend’s news cycle was dominated by once-legendary producer Mistabishi and his wildly racist and anti-Muslim comments on Facebook and Twitter.
It all seemingly started when Mistabishi shared an article from The Independent regarding London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s comments on Trump’s cancelled visit, saying, “[Trump] ‘got the message’ that Londoners oppose his views and policies as he cancelled a planned visit to the capital.”
Mistabishi’s comment on the article he shared (the post now deleted) was, “I’m a Londoner and would be thrilled to have The US President visit this city. Sadiq Khan isn’t a real Londoner.” Thus began a tirade of comments and criticism from fans, from which Mistabishi did not back down; instead, he inflamed his fans and others by stating various racist sentiments and aligning himself with others who shared those views.
In another comment on the thread, he wrote, “Also, n*ggeryness isn’t exclusive to people of African origin. It’s a particular way of being seen in US hip hop and now UK grime where it’s considered to be virtuous to be a white-hating gangbanger with a history of drug crime.”
Another well-known drum & bass artist named Muzzy attempted to, if not reason with him, then to fight ignorance with logic. At this, Mistabishi responded, “You’re offended because you’re a Muslim and hate western society whilst wanting to profit from it.”
Mistabishi also referred to one Twitter user as a “chimp,” saying, “I don’t want a braindead semi-literate dj chimp like you playing my music.”
This isn’t even the first time that he’s expressed such views, as screenshots from forum posts dating back to 2008 show that he has harbored these thoughts for quite some time.
In light of the new comments from Mistabishi, drum & bass label Hospital Records has decided to remove all of Mistabishi’s releases from their catalog and stores, as well as donate any income from his releases to the charity, LoveMusic HateRacism. You can read their statement below.
At Hospital Records, Hospitalitydnb and Med School we do not tolerate racism of any kind. Our ethos of equality and…
Posted by Hospital Records on Monday, January 15, 2018
Overall, it seems that Mistabishi’s career is now in shambles, having revealed himself to be antithetical to what dance music stands for, as well as showing himself to be a harbinger of hate and antiquated ideals. We would wish him the best of luck in life, but it’s not clear if he even deserves that.
