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French rapper who compared himself to Hitler dropped by label
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French rapper Freeze Corleone who compared himself to Adolf Hitler was dropped by his label Friday after being accused of spreading anti-Semitism. (FacebookFreezeCorleone/File)
A French rapper who compared himself to Adolf Hitler was dropped by his label Friday after being accused of spreading anti-Semitism.
Fast-rising star Freeze Corleone's debut album LMF was released last week, with one of his songs already amassing more than 1.3 million views on YouTube.
But Universal Music France said despite its success they were cutting all ties with him because "the release of the album has revealed and amplified unacceptable racist statements".
It follows mounting anger from French politicians about his lyrics, in which he questioned the Holocaust and compared himself to Adolf Hitler.
French justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said art cannot be used as a shield for "hate or Nazi apologists".
Prosecutor Remy Heitz had earlier said that Corleone was being investigated for "inciting racial hatred".
But Corleone, 28, whose real name is Issa Lorenzo Diakhate, hit back Friday, taking to Twitter to attack Universal.
Enfin libre
Merci a tous pour le soutient
Dieu vaincra jamais on arrête le marathon 🌍🌍🌍
— PHILLIP LIN (@freezecorleone) September 18, 2020
"Finally free," he tweeted.
"Thank you to everyone for their support. God will be victorious, we will never give up on this marathon," he added.
The album, whose full title is La Menace Fantome (The Phantom Menace), also contains references to popular conspiracy theories.
Read also: France probes rising rapper's 'anti-Semitic' song lyrics
'Determined like Adolf'
In other lyrics Corleone declares that he "arrives determined like Adolf in the 1930s", that he doesn't "give a damn about the Shoah", and that "like Swiss bankers, it will be all for the family so my children can live like Jewish rentiers."
Corleone, whose father is Senegalese and mother Italian, was born on the outskirts of Paris but has also lived in Canada and in Dakar.
The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism, known by its French acronym Licra, condemned Corleone and the music industry for promoting him.
"Impunity must end. We call on all partner actors to take responsibility," the organisation wrote on Twitter, tagging music streaming sites and apps including Google Play and Apple Music.
About 50 politicians, including many within President Emmanuel Macron's LREM party, condemned the rapper on Thursday, as several of his songs climbed to the top of the country's music charts.
