Witches Against Rap Music, a movement against the derogatory use of the word “witch” in hip-hop, is protesting the release of an album in Phoenix. Local rapper Wiz Magica’s “good kid, w.I.T.C.h. City” is expected to debut at the top of the Mageboard 100 Music Charts.
“w.I.T.C.h. City” is Magica’s third release. Magica’s first two albums, “Section.666” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Wizardry” earned the rapper over $2 million in sales and fans around the world. Liliac Blue, WARM president, is not among them.
“It’s not just about the way he (Magica) says ‘witch,’” Blue said. “It’s about my rights as a human being, magical or otherwise. It’s about being able to walk to my broom at night. It’s about not accepting that you’re a – as Magica likes to call us – ‘second-string witch.’”
Magica has long been known for the controversial themes and language in his music. In 2011, his “Twisted Wizardry” album release had similar, but smaller protests. The album set first week sales records and received a 10.0/10 from popular music site “Witchfork,” also known as “W4k.” W4k founder Devin Skweeber noted in his review that listeners must often look past Magica’s lyrics and focus on his musical merit.
“There’s no doubt that Magica needs to grow up,” Skweeber wrote in the October 2011 article. “Phrases like ‘a witchy wizard, that’s that spell I don’t like’ aren’t acceptable in today’s day and age. However, the very passion that leads to Magica’s enormous beats is the same passion that fuels his language.”
Protestors at the WARM event in Civic Space Park chanted and held signs for more than two hours. Signs were mostly plays on Magica’s anti-witch lyrics, with phrases like “I’ve got 99 problems and your language is one,” and “#MadWitchAlert” being commonplace.
Magica acknowledged the protestors during his press conference at the album release. He didn’t have much of a choice – most of the questions reporters wanted answered were about his controversial lyrical content.
“Man, I don’t hate witches,” Magica said. “I’m not saying they belong at the cauldron or anything like that. I even say it on the album – on ‘Spell 2’ – I can’t get enough of witches.”
Even the allegedly positive “Spell 2” lyric that Magica referenced received attention from the crowd. In a song dedicated to his fiancé, Get Morecashian, Magica asks the listener “have you ever asked your witch for other witches?”
Blue answered the question with a resounding “no.”
“I’m not here to challenge an alternative lifestyle,” Blue said to the crowd of protesters. “But loyalty and trust stay important, even in a telepathic relationship. In fact, we should be asking ‘Have you ever asked your rapper for other rappers?’”
The one subject that Blue refused to touch on was one Magica seemed most excited to talk about. “Broom Ridin’,” the third single off of “w.I.T.C.h. City” featured known spellcaster and implied witch advocate Lana the Grey. The song’s chorus has resulted in backlash for both Magica and the Grey.
“Catch me ridin’ like a witch,” Magica raps. “Got my broomstick high, catch me ridin’ with my witch, uh. Long hair. Lana, that’s my witch, uh. You can tell by the magic and the lips, uh.”
Blue would not comment on the Grey’s work with Magica. As the album release came to a close, Blue rallied the protestors as they left on their broomsticks. Blue’s rallying cry remained what it had been all night – a reversal of Magica’s own words from his new album.
“One witch is worth a thousand good girls!”
“good kid, w.I.T.C.h. City” will be released by Mage Nation Records next week. The WARM movement is expected to follow Magica on his nationwide tour this autumn.