BBC sparks fury after broadcasting rapper's 'f*** Nigel Farage' comments during Reading festival set
The broadcaster captioned the set on the iPlayer as "a poignant, uplifting set from the twice-Mercury-nominated British rapper"
The BBC has caused a stir after broadcasting a hip-hop star's comments who slammed Nigel Farage at Reading festival.
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British rapper Loyle Carner launched the expletive attack against the Reform UK leader where he boasted "F*** Farage" at the event's The Grid Stage over the weekend.
The 31-year-old also hit out at JK Rowling and "toxic masculinity bulls***" during his performance in front of thousands at the annual festival.
The performance was available to watch on BBC iPlayer with the caption: "A poignant, uplifting set from the twice-Mercury-nominated British rapper."
It is understood the performance complied with BBC's editorial guidelines and audience expectations.
The broadcaster later said that the festival is a third-party event and the live broadcast included a warning for "strong language and discriminatory language".
One viewer responded on X: "We shouldn't be forced to pay money to this biased corporation simply because we want to watch live television.
"They must be forced to become an independent subscription broadcaster."
It isn't the first time the rapper has been critical of Mr Farage, previously telling reporters at the Brit Awards: "I feel, in my circle, or the echo chamber I exist in, to say that I hate Nigel Farage.
"It’s not hard to say that, do you know what I mean? It’s obvious.
"What feels more powerful instead of being negative all the time, which is so easy because there’s a lot of negativity around me, is to try and find ways to express some sort of hope and generosity to the people who exist like me who maybe feel marginalised or oppressed or left behind."
Elsewhere during his performance, he said: "This song is called Horcru' because I love Harry Potter.
"But I don't really like JK Rowling, do you know what I mean?"
A spokesperson for BBC told LBC: "The BBC provided extensive coverage of Reading Festival across the weekend, featuring performances from a wide range of artists."
Mr Carner, full name Benjamin Gerrard Coyle-Larner, has released four albums including two which have been nominated for a Mercury Prize.
He also wore a shirt in 2019 which said "I Hate Boris" during his Glastonbury set, telling the crowd "f*** that guy".