A British rapper’s ‘tasteless’ publicity stunt has been lambasted on social media, after he waved a fake severed head of Prime Minister Boris Johnson during an award show.

The 24-year-old rapper slowthai, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, ended his performance at the Mercury Prize ceremony in London on Thursday night by pulling out a mock-up decapitated head of PM Johnson.

“F**k Boris Johnson! F**k everything!” he shouted on stage while waving the head. The rapper also screamed: “And there ain’t nothing great about Britain,” referring to the name of his debut album, ‘Nothing Great About Britain.’ He did all this while wearing a “F**k Boris” T-shirt – an item he sells through his online store.

.@slowthai held up a dummy Boris Johnson head when he appeared on stage at the ceremony to announce the winner of the #MercuryPrize.Read more about the politically charged ceremony here: https://t.co/qZkitbGw0dpic.twitter.com/WjdIS8Vd5s — Sky News (@SkyNews) September 20, 2019

The stunt later prompted bewildered show host Lauren Laverne to provide a disclaimer, saying the rapper had presented “his own views.”

The audience met slowthai’s performance with applause. However, the artist was criticized on social media, as many his antics“tasteless” and “attention-seeking.”

Commenters accused him of resorting to cheap shock value in order to promote his album. Some even suggested that sporting the fake head of a politician is tantamount to inciting violence.

“5 min of fame then back to obscurity for you,” one person wrote on Twitter. “What people will do for publicity,” another said.

Regardless of what mess Johnson is in, this stunt is flat out wrong. This fella might think he’s some progressive man-of-the-people Che Guevara type character, but he isn’t, he’s a bellend. We can do without this violent incentive to those who are easily influenced. Please stop. — OreoSlim (@OreoSlim1) 20 сентября 2019 г.

Media and child-protection campaigner Sara Payne tweeted: “We don’t have to like these politicians, but this is NOT entertainment, it’s creepy and disturbing.”

Some commenters also compared slowthai to comedian Kathy Griffin, who once brandished a fake severed head of US President Donald Trump during a promo for her show. Griffin apologized for the stunt after getting hit with severe backlash, but later took her apology back.

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Slowthai is not the first UK hip-hop artist to publicly lash out at the British political elite. Last year, rapper Stormzy delivered a scathing verse blasting then-prime minister Theresa May during his performance at the Brit Awards.

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