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The Raffle Made Me Do It!
Other | Thursday 19th July 2012 | Osh
The message that Paris, the American rapper from California, was trying to portray in his song ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ is still often debated. However, even with my very limited knowledge in rap and hip-hop, with lyrics such as ‘a setback, ‘cause it’s plain to see lost in a white supremacy’ and ‘they spit on your flag and government ‘cause help the black was a concept never meant’, Paris was probably aiming for a hard hitting political assassination of the then Republican Government, as opposed to a chart topping tune. Influenced by black nationalists and known to have been linked to the Nation of Islam, Paris doesn’t shy away from controversy, with ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ (a politically charged song concerning social and economic injustice in the USA) being no exception. However, in lighter news, it now also happens to be the name of Clay Cross Town FC’s new football ground.
Sometimes, if we wish hard enough, weird and wonderful things happen. This month has seen a surprising result in the Clay Cross Town Football Club’s raffle for local businesses, following their attempts to rebrand the club, previously known as Parkhouse FC. The winner gained the chance to rename the club’s football ground and, following the raffle, the ground (previously known as Mill Lane) has been in fact been renamed. Be prepared to welcome ‘The Devil Made Me Do It Tattoo Studio Ground’.
After holding a raffle (which many local businesses entered, including pubs, spas and even a mobility scooter store) the winner of the draw ended up being a local tattoo parlour, named after the famously MTV banned song by the rap artist Paris. Rob Clements, the owner of the tattoo studio stated that he named his much loved tattoo parlour after one of his favourite songs by the American artist. While the newly named football ground may not have the same gravitas that perhaps Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford carry, its name certainly is just as unforgettable.
It seems somewhat that the original message Paris was trying to convey in his song concerning the political, social and economic injustice that black Americans faced in the 90’s (and are maybe still facing now) may have been somewhat lost on the club whose committee stated, when commenting on the unusual name that ‘it’s only meant to be light-hearted’. In all honesty, the club were lucky to end up with ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ as their new name. Clements could instead have been a massive fan of Jay Z; I doubt that ‘Big Pimpin’ Ground’, or ’99 Problems Stadium’ would have been welcomed as warmly, despite the lyrics being somewhat less controversial.
Vicki Haughton
