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Avid listeners of Hip-Hop across the pond are outraged by a form that targets the community’s night club promoters and artists. The BBC reports that Form 696 is the latest anti-Hip Hop ploy by a governing body. The “risk assessment form” in its initial form walked the fine line of being overly intrusive and overtly racist, asking details on “specific ethnic groups” attending the events. Now with a few revisions, the controversial form is still being seen as an oppressive threat.

According to British police the most dangerous situations are when DJs and MCs perform to a live backing track at late night clubs.

Therefore 696 aims to regulate:

“Large promoted events between 10pm and 4am which feature MCs and DJs performing to recorded backing tracks.”

While the police statement aims to be ambiguous, some people are seeing through the premeditated fluff. Rod Gilmore, a club promoter who’s been over Britain’s “Doctor’s Orders” Hip-Hop night for four years, feels like events like his are being specifically targeted. He told The BBC:

“Reading between the lines, the indie kids are all right but we’ve got to look out for those black boys with microphones in their hands. Saying it’s over recorded music with DJs and MCs really narrows it down.”

The police are deeming the 696 form a success and claim that it’s helped reduce serious violence in licensed premises by 11%.

British police also made sure to issue a statement on 696’s incredible violence stopping abilities saying,

 “To date, shootings linked to licensed premises have been significantly reduced and we believe the risk assessment process has contributed to this.”

It’s unclear how a single nformation form could be credited with severely dropping  violent crime. What is clear however is that this form is undeniably targeting Hip-Hop.

Now the question is, who’s going to step up and put a stop to it?