Plan B has criticised people who use the word 'chav', in a statement on his website.

He says the term is "a derogatory phrase no different to the ones concerning race or sex".

The rapper says "certain sectors of Middle England" need to stop ridiculing the poor and less fortunate.

His comments surround the release of new track Ill Manors which includes the lyric: "Oi look there's a chav, that means council housed and violent."

It's a song which he says tries to try to address some of the causes of last summer's riots in England.

Definition of Chav The Collins English Dictionary defines the word chav as "derogatory slang"



It says a chav is "a young working class person whose tastes, although sometimes expensive, are considered vulgar"

Other lyrics include: "He's got a hoodie on give him a hug, on second thoughts don't, you don't wanna get mugged."

In the statement to accompany the video, he criticised the use of the word chav by the media.

"The papers use it publicly," it read. "If they did the same with racial or sexist derogatory terms it would be deemed, and rightly so, as offensive and politically incorrect. That in my opinion is hypocrisy."

'Alienated'

The video for Ill Manors features footage from last summer's violence.

His statement went on: "I think one of the reasons (for the riots) is that there is a very public prejudice in this country towards the underclass".

Plan B, whose real name is Ben Drew, recently spoke to Mistajam on BBC Radio 1Xtra about the meanings behind the song.

I think one of the reasons (for the riots) is that there is a very public prejudice in this country towards the underclass Plan B

Speaking then he said: "I'm not trying to condone what happened during the riots but those kids have played into the hands of what Middle England thinks of them.

"When you attack someone for the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to or their lack of education and you do it publicly you make them alienated.

"Anyone beaten into that apathy won't care about society," he added. "They feel in their eyes that society has made it very clear they don't care about them.

"Just because you were lucky to be born into a family that can afford to give you a good education doesn't make you better than anyone, it makes you lucky."

Last year he posted a seven-minute video in which he questioned the rioters' motives.