Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, the controversial reggae stars accused of inciting violence against homosexuals, have been dropped from the British Mobo (Music of Black Origin) Awards.
Both Jamaican singers had their nominations for Best Reggae Single withdrawn following uproar from gay rights campaigners.
Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel had been nominated for their latest music, which does not incite attacks on gays, and their representatives had assured Mobo that since recording earlier controversial tracks they had personally moved on positively as artists.
The artists were given the opportunity to provide written apologies but none were forthcoming by the deadline of 6pm yesterday.
A statement from Mobo said: "The Mobo Awards position has been clear from the outset - they do not condone music that clearly incites violence to gay and lesbian people nor do they advocate censorship of artistic expression."
"Mobo have not yet received written apologies as previously promised. We have therefore alerted the Mobo Academy to this situation and a decision has been taken to withdraw the nominations for Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel."
