BY REMINGTON FIORASO
Perhaps some of you have seen the posters on campus advertising a show featuring rap artist Rick Ross. If you are like me, you might not have known who the artist is until a Facebook event was created in hopes of cancelling the show planned for April 9th. Which made me wonder: what could possibly prompt the cancellation of a concert organized by a student union?
In Ross’ appearance in the track “You Don’t Even Know It”, alongside Future and Rocko, the lyrics plainly and simply promote sexual assault. While many mainstream songs objectify and/or sexualize women, the lyrics in the specified song glorify drugging and sexually assaulting them. Normally, I would simply refuse to give tracks that portray women in a negative light attention; however, the implied partnership of Carleton University’s Student Association (CUSA) with the artist has brought the direct issue to my attention. Although I recognize that the artist is simply releasing a track that would sell to a wider audience, CUSA’s decision to continue promoting and keeping their name attached to an artist that has released a song glorifying sexual assault is truly questionable.
In previous years, CUSA has collaborated with the student unions of other post-secondary institutions in a year-end concert called “Pandamonium”. However, this year is an exception. The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) backed out of the event upon learning about the headliner’s lyrics and subsequent controversy. They did not want to be involved or associated with an artist that has had such controversial lyrics, even requesting a name change of the event to further their ties.
If other student unions have refused to participate/ get involved with a show because it promotes discrimination and violence, what makes Carleton so different? If the organization is meant to represent students, why are the issues being brought up by those students opposing the event being ignored?
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