In recent days, the lyrics from Jack's performance have caused controversy on social media. At the event held on October 16 in Hanoi, Jack performed a new unnamed song, in which the lyrics contained harsh words in response to anti-fans: "How can you not like me in real life if you dare/ I sing and play more than a lifetime of work".
The most controversial part is the rap "Fans often call me because they are Lao/Lao and they don't mind"... which was criticized as offensive.
Responsibility for censoring performance content
Talking to Lao Dong reporter, Founder of TGM Media, Master of Marketing at Hanoi National Economics University Le Minh Tam commented: Although there is correct information from designer Thach Linh, who is said to be the representative of the event organizer, saying that in the audio version, the line I am Lao, I am whatever is not as the content on the internet, not offensive, that does not eliminate the responsibility of the organizer to censor the content. A professional program needs to anticipate the risks of image, language, and performance. Here, the organizers lacked control and responded too slowly when the incident occurred.
Master Le Minh Tam said that the fact that the organizing committee did not have an official statement or specific evidence caused public continued controversy, cutting and editing clips to review each sung line. This shows the lack of professionalism in handling media crises.
From a broader perspective, this expert assessed that the phenomenon of using inappropriate language in music, especially in the underground and rap world, has existed for a long time. The songs containing "decent" content accidentally spread the "thrill" culture, negatively affecting young people and Gen Z.
Master Le Minh Tam cited programs like Rap Viet as having to carefully censor their language to avoid being offensive. Meanwhile, in the program with Jack, the performance was not carefully controlled, leading to misunderstandings and mixed reactions.
As for Jack, after many private scandals, the audience once expected the male singer to return with a more positive image. However, this incident, whether true or false, still damaged Jack's image, disappointing the audience.
And the story of spreading behind each song
Media expert Nguyen Tung Lam - who has more than 10 years of experience in handling media crises, also commented on Jack's case: "All artists and organizers should ask themselves questions.
As an artist who is influential in young people, ask yourself: What is each word of the song for? To serve the arts? To spread beautiful emotions? Or can attacking the media, provoking anti-fans, and using language "set a bad example" for young listeners? Is that what an artist should do?
On the organizers' side, when they agreed to let such a song appear on stage, they wondered if they were saying "To do something"? When a song is performed publicly, it is no longer a story of "performance". It is a story of spreading and imitating, because idols are always the example of young fans".
Expert Tung Lam said that many people often justify "There are many other similar songs" but that is not the answer.
The correct answer is: should those things exist in cultural and artistic life and who is responsible for them when they are allowed to appear, even spreading to tens of millions of people?, the expert emphasized.
Regarding the excuse that singer Jack sang nghe la giua t**, the expert commented: If it is a real sentence, the question must still be raised: Why is such a meaningless line of the song included in a song that has passed the content approval stage?
And if it is vague enough to make the public misunderstand, this is no longer an emotional story but the responsibility of the organizing unit in judging and setting standards.
This is an issue that needs the involvement of real judges, instead of controversy, which accidentally helps this product spread more strongly. Because only agencies with the function of cultural management can accurately answer the question: What are these "songs" bringing to the younger generation?".
Regarding Jack's lyrics at the event on October 16, designer Thach Linh - representative of the organizer said that in the soundtrack, the lyrics are "Laos vsang t**", not as offensive as the audience spread online. This song was just spontaneously composed by Jack for fans, completed 5-6 days before the event, and not yet sent to relevant management agencies for censorship.
