Unfortunately Skepta didn’t nab an award (awards aren’t everything right?) but he did take to the stage to perform Shutdown, taken off his Mercury 2016 Prize winning album Konnichwa.
However, something that caught everyones ears, noticed that the song was being heavily muted by ITV.
During the complaint phonecall breakdown in the song, it goes a little something like this…
“A bunch of young men all dressed in black dancing extremely aggressively on stage it made me feel so intimidated and it’s just not what I expect to see on primetime TV,” a woman’s voice says. Then during that, the lyrics were supposed to go: ‘Ring ring pussy, it’s shutdown.”
Many viewers were challenging the need for censorship when the show was broadcast after the 9pm watershed.
Watch the performance for yourself here, and take a look at what twitter had to say below:
Even my Ma is baffled at @Skepta getting muted at the Brits. Watch him put Audio Muted on T shirts and make a load of bank on it. pic.twitter.com/kQBqXShhOp
— Mango (@MangoDassle) February 23, 2017
Why was @Skepta muted pretty much 90% of the time on the #BRITs2017 last night #skeptabrits #Skepta
— jxtyyy (@Jaadxn1) February 23, 2017
the irony of shutdown being shutdown by #ITV #audiomute #BRITs2017 #skepta
— Jason Trillo (@Trillo7359) February 22, 2017
We still know the muted words ITV… #shutdown #skepta #BRITs2017 pic.twitter.com/Uyru9cGf98
— Camacam (@camouflage_c) February 22, 2017
Don’t ask someone to perform if you’re gonna blank out their song! Love that he did that song though #brits #skepta #shutdown
— Sarah marsham (@sarahlmarsham) February 22, 2017
Why is Skepta getting his audio muted when the white presenters have sworn numerous times? #BRITs2017
— Caino (@redcain81) February 22, 2017
Brits – Let’s invite Skepta
Brits – let’s mute him when he swears pic.twitter.com/KX8AsdFn94— Lawrence James (@DJLawrenceJames) February 22, 2017
Love it how #Skepta had to perform after the watershed and they still muted his performance #BRITs2017
— Danny (@sir_dannyboy) February 22, 2017