Gun-toting OutKast poster slammed08/07/2004 07:59


LONDON (Reuters) - A poster showing a member of the hip-hop duo OutKast holding a smoking gun has been branded "irresponsible" by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The watchdog upheld on Wednesday a complaint that the advert, in which singer Andre 3000 is shown brandishing a pink gun, could be seen to glorify gun use, but rejected another claim that the poster promoted racial stereotypes.

The advertiser, record label BMG, had said it believed the poster was no more likely to provoke violence or anti-social behaviour than marketing campaigns for Hollywood films such as the James Bond movies.

"We regret the ruling because OutKast are the last group that we believe you could level those charges against," said BMG’s Director of Press, Paul Bursche.

"It’s a play, it’s a spoof. They’re a very dramatic, flamboyant group (and) they’re famous the world over for being the least gangster-posturing hip-hop group ever."

The music label, which also has singers Will Young and Annie Lennox on its books, argued that because the gun in the poster is pink, it would be interpreted as an ironic image, but the ASA found that the colour of the gun was irrelevant.

The fact that the gun was smoking implied that it had been recently fired, the watchdog said.

BMG said it did not believe the advert had caused "serious or widespread offence" because it had received no other complaints in the six months since the band’s "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" double album was released.

OutKast’s theatrical outfits got them into hot water earlier this year when their American Indian-motif performance at the Grammy Awards drew complaints of racism. Broadcaster CBS later apologised for any offence caused by the act.