- The song allegedly relayed a ‘transphobic’ message
- Young Vito received criticisms following the release of his song
Fliptop Head Anygma shared his views about the banning of ‘transphobic’ song “Awit” released on Young Vito’s Spotify and Viva Records’ YouTube channel on January 17.
The song has apparently been taken off Viva’s YouTube and off Spotify since then.
The song drew flak because of its chorus which describes meeting someone beautiful but noticing that there is “something wrong” when he realizes that the woman is transgender.
In Filipino, “lawit” refers to something that hangs.
Following this, Vito received massive criticism online mostly coming from the LGBTQ community.
In an interview, Anygma commented that songs being banned on radio and other platforms are not fair as it robs an artist of freedom of speech.
He commented, “It’s definitely an infringement of like the freedom of speech but on the other hand, I understand that certain corporations or companies especially within the industry or in the mainstream.”
He added, “I definitely understand it’s their prerogative. It’s their right to do so. I’m pretty sure they have some legal agreement concerning such things. But banning it entirely? It’s foolish and impossible but I guess for the purposes of its record label or whatever. It’s completely understandable. Ganun talaga eh.”
As the prime leader of hip-hop in the Philippines, Anygma thinks that proper discussions are the best way to mend a situation like this.
“I don’t believe in censorship at all, the discussion should definitely take place. The discussion is always important to arrive at a more fruitful perspective on things for these artists,” he said.
Despite issuing an apology, the offensive lyrics remain in Vito’s recent release. He signed with Viva Records on December 17, 2019, shortly after the controversy.
