UK rapper Dizzee Rascal verbally assaulted an Australian reporter recently, calling her a "bitch" and then forcing her to destroy her videotaped interview. The incident occurred after the reporter, Alison Stephenson, who was interviewing Dizzee for News.com.au at the Aussie festival Big Day Out in Sydney, asked the rapper about falling on stage. "Yeah, yeah I have stacked it on stage," replied Dizzee, who was reportedly shirtless at the time, flanked by four publicists. Stephenson continued to press the rapper, asking "So, you didn't eat the floor or anything like that?"
Dizzee grew furious, responding angrily, "What the f--- do you want from me man, I've already said I done it. Yeah I stacked it, bitch. F---!"
Stephenson immediately ended the interview, and left, giving the matter no further thought. "I wasn't expecting an apology and didn't receive one," she said. "It just comes with the territory."Within a half hour, however, Dizzee's publicists became highly agitated, as the rapper refused to conduct further interviews until Stephenson's video of the incident was deleted. "A publicist came running up to me declaring I had to go back to the media area immediately and my Dizzee Rascal interview had to be deleted," Stephenson explained. "He was refusing to do any other press that day until I agreed to delete it, including a radio station whose team was going into chaos. They were due to go live with the rapper but he was sitting in his trailer waiting for me to comply. I was escorted to Dizzee's trailer so his UK manager and publicist could emerge, watch me sign the document and agree to 'just forget about it and move on." When asked why she had to delete the video, Stephenson says, "All I was told was: 'Dizzee wasn't happy with it."
Dizzee was involved in an earlier altercation last week, while on the Gold Coast leg of the tour, when he allegedly jumped and attempted to assault a fan who had thrown deodorant at him. The festival's publicist, Miranda Brown, has yet to comment on the incident.
