A rapper who made a song supporting the ongoing boycott of Target says it is being censored online.
The retailer has faced boycott calls from the right over its Pride Month marketing and LGBTQ+ merchandise, including “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits included in the range. Some customers confronted workers and tipped over displays.
Target then faced a second backlash after it said it was removing some products and relocating displays, citing the safety of employees. Target said it remained committed to LGBTQ+ rights.
Some conservatives have celebrated the boycott, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
This is the MOST censorship on a song that I’ve ever witnessed in my life.
– They are literally hiding the song from the search engine on iTunes.
– Instagram also made me remove the link from my bio so that people can’t get a copy of the track.
– They are scared of the…— Jimmy Levy (@JimmyLevyMusic) May 28, 2023
Greene on Friday tweeted that conservatives were showing “who has the real buying power” alongside a music video for a song called “Boycott Target,” produced by pro-Trump rappers, Jimmy Levy and Forgiato Blow.
Some of the music video appears to have been filmed in a Target store, and lyrics include, “They put a target on my back, but they’re targeting your kids,” and, “You know that LGBTQ went too far.”
Levy took to Twitter over the weekend to claim the song was being censored online.
“This is the MOST censorship on a song that I’ve ever witnessed in my life,” Levy wrote.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
He alleged that his song was being hidden from search on Apple’s iTunes store, and that Instagram had made him remove the link from his account bio “so that people can’t get a copy of the track.”
“They are scared of the awakening,” Levy added.
In another tweet, Levy wrote: “Although iTunes banned the ability to search for our song in efforts to stop the truth from spreading, I realized that if you have the iTunes Store app and go to where the charts are, you could still find the song. Everything that they are doing tells me that they fear the power that we the people have, but we won’t stop!”
Apple and Meta, Instagram’s parent company, have been contacted for comment via email. Levy could not immediately be contacted for further comment.
On Friday, staff and customers at several Target locations were evacuated after bomb threats were made in response to the retailer’s decision to remove items from its Pride range.
“The safety of our team members and guests is our top priority,” a Target spokesperson told Newsweek on Friday when asked about the recent bomb threats. “Law enforcement investigated these claims and determined our stores are safe. Our stores are currently open and operating regular hours.”
The boycott of Target over Pride Month marketing comes as Bud Light is continuing to deal with the fallout over its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The North Face has also recently faced boycott calls after it launched a Pride Month campaign featuring drag queen Pattie Gonia.
Those come as anti-transgender sentiment has been growing in the United States, with state legislatures across the country introducing a record number of bills targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. Almost 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have gone before state legislatures since the start of this year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.