David Palmer, like all great rappers before him, has created a storm of media controversy, but instead of penning conservative op-eds about his extreme vulgarity, blatant misogyny, and detrimental influence on the youth, the press have focused on his accent and how poorly he raps.
Palmer, who is the grandson of Liberal Democrat Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (a biographical factoid that the UK media have insisted on mentioning in every article discussing his flagship song Habitat, which you can view below), has now responded to the lashings and criticism in a new interview.
“Over three quarters of the people who have voted on the YouTube video have liked it. Despite a lot negativity in the press, it seems to have all worked in my favour. Without the controversy, people wouldn’t necessarily be watching the video,” Palmer told Telegraph journalist James Lachno.
“I’ve created my own style and it’s controversial. My background is controversial. I’m enjoying the controversy. It’s fun to watch people debate it and make up stories at me. It’s all positive towards spreading my message.” His message, he explains, is one of conservationism and responsibility.
“Habitat is about our vulnerability to nature and nature’s vulnerability to us. The style is inspired by Mike Skinner and The Streets. I believe that we should be green when possible and we should recycle and keep in mind our habitat,” he said. Palmer then finally squashed the accent beef.
“I’m not an aristocrat. I’m not a Lord – I’m never going to be a Lord. It was only in 2011 that my grandfather became Lord Palmer, for his services to the country. It’s not a hereditary peerage. My quite posh accent is how I was brought up to speak. I’m just keeping it real, as they say,” he said.
Palmer stressed that he is “genuine and sincere” and has had a love for hip-hop “since around my year six school disco.” Palmer hopes people enjoy his music and find it “quirky, eye-catching, strange and memorable,” and gave a shout out to his peers Macklemore, Plan B, and Akala.
Watch: Dave In Charge – Habitat
