UPDATE: Teen rapper backs down to school fine threat

Owen Whitney, 14, from Mansfield, was been told not to come to school today (Monday, November 21) and was warned that he ‘would be arrested’ if he was caught on site, his furious parents has claimed.

The young rapper was suspended last week after he made a grime video and his family were intending to flout the warnings and deiver him to school today ‘ready to be educated’.

But after further threats that they would be fine it’s reported that Owen has not been taken to school today.

Staff at the school failed to see the funny side after he produced a ‘callout’ video, slating a friend of his – allegedly teachers likened the video to a ‘hate crime’.

The video was made as part of an online rap battle, where grime artists rap about each other and provoke a response in their own videos.

Owen’s video set a trend amongst other students at the Broomhill Lane school, and following complaints from parents, the youngsters were forced to remove the ‘callouts’ from the internet.

His parents say Owen was identified as the ringleader because his was the first video to appear, and he was excluded from school for three days.

He said: “I’m quite into Grime, I also enjoy drama at school and I watch people on other grime channels.

“We were messing about and I thought I’d try it. My video went on and it had one swear word in it and they called it a hate crime.

“I’m upset because its affecting my learning. It’s what people are doing at the moment. I’ve seen some people’s on there that are a lot worse, it’s just because I did the first one that I’m the main offender.”

His mother, Emma, said: “There’s nothing generally offensive in it, and they haven’t even complained about my son’s, but about someone else’s.

“They called it a hate crime - for me a hate crime has got to be saying something like ‘i’m going to kill you’ or something racist hasn’t it? There’s nothing like that. It’s just a bit of banter.”

Owen’s callout video reached 7,000 views and includes the lyrics: “You play video-games all day. It just shows how much you play COD (Call of Duty), and that your life is *****.”

“Yeah, you think you’re good at cricket. Just ‘cos you got one person out when you hit the wicket.

“When you bat I can’t help but laugh. You can’t hit the ball, you’re absolutely ****.”

His father, lorry driver Alan Whitney, 48, said: “It’s absolutely pathetic - I’m flabbergasted. They’ve excluded my son for three days even though he didn’t commit a crime.

“If he had actually done something wrong, and on school grounds, I would be totally behind the school. But he did it in his own time six weeks ago. He’s just blabbing about absolute rubbish, really. It’s quite silly, about how a friend of his is lazy and always on his Xbox or something. I think he swears once or twice in it, but it’s not remotely offensive.

“Now three or four others have gone online and done their own rap video, and they’re a bit more offensive.

“One of the parents is obviously disgusted by it and complained to the school, and the school has investigated who started all this.”

“The school have rung and sid the punishment still stands until Wednesday.

“I will be there on Monday morning with dressed and ready to be educated.”

He later updated: “According to a letter we have received, we will be fined if we attend.”

All Saint’s Catholic Academy has been approached for comment and is yet to respond.