Censored Venezuelan Musician Shot
by Mariana Centeno / March 2, 2012 / No comments
A Video Can Be Banned, but Violence Can’t be Denied
Harmed by the Violence he Denounced in Censored Video
Onechot, Venezuelan reggae singer.
Juan David Chacón, better known as OneChot, is a reggae singer/songwriter, and founder of the bands Papashanty and Negus Nagast. Two years ago he released a music video for his controversial song “Rotten Town,” which depicts, through graphic images, the high levels of violence in Venezuela. The video condemns the insecure conditions that Venezuelans face on a daily basis. The government ended up censoring the video, claiming that it was sensationalist and that it gave an exaggerated image of reality. The host of the television program Dando y Dando took it upon herself to review the video and referred to OneChot as a “rapper” who calls himself a Venezuelan while choosing to live in Spain.
On February 28th, while in Caracas for business, OneChot was a victim of the violence he condemned in his video. While driving he was shot in the head, making him lose control of the vehicle and crash. He is currently in intensive care. OneChot’s mother gave a statement to BBC saying that she hopes that what happened to her son will draw attention to other victims of crime in Venezuela.
Below is OneChot’s censored video “Rotten Town”:
