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Solvejg Wastvedt

Minneapolis district wants rap video filmed at Henry HS taken down

Patrick Henry High School
Patrick Henry High School
Caroline Yang for MPR News file

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A hip-hop music video filmed in a Minneapolis high school gym has garnered more than 50,000 views on YouTube, and the district wants it taken down.

The video is shot in the Patrick Henry High School gym. Lyrics to the hip-hop song reference drugs and sex and include the N-word and the F-word. The video includes a shot of a dancer's bare bottom. In the background, the school's name is visible on a banner hanging on the wall.

Hip-hop artist P.Skud, whose real name is Lavern Jamison, paid $300 to use the gym on Nov. 20, according to the permit application. The event description on the application said "basketball video promotion."

"The request was misleading and did not describe the full scope of activity that would take place," a Minneapolis schools spokesperson said in a statement. "Additionally, the district did not approve the use of any district logos or identifiable information."

The statement added that the video "does not represent our values or align with our mission. In the strongest terms, we disavow the content of the video."

Jamison said he never intended to mislead the district. He said he made it clear he was shooting a music video.

"They didn't say anything about the lyrics, it wasn't in the agreement," Jamison said. "They should have asked to hear it ... I wasn't hiding anything, because I had a choice of different places but I loved Henry. I wanted Henry."

Jamison said he went to school at Patrick Henry and grew up in the area.

The song is titled "Keep Me Going," and Jamison said it's meant to convey a positive message.

Jamison said the district contacted him to request the video's removal, but he doesn't intend to comply. The district said it also contacted YouTube to request removal on grounds that the video violates copyright protections.