March 31, 2015
By Gene Rogers, CNN
SANTA ROSA, CA — Country radio station KTRY (106.3 FM) had faces redder than their necks Friday when they played a record that was labeled “Hank Williams.” Turns out, it was all a mix-up, and the record was actually “Hit ‘Em Up” by the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The record was unedited.
“I heard them crazy gangster beats,” says disc jockey Tex Nash. He also recalled the opening lyrics:
“First off, (expletive) your (expletive) and the clique you claim.
Westside when we ride come equipped with game
You claim to be a player but I (expletive) your wife
We bust on Bad Boy (expletive) (expletive) for life”
“I dear mama would be ashamed of me. Playing them dirty words on the air,” Nash said. “I heard that gangster music and thought to myself, ‘That ain’t no Hank Williams song.’ Hank would never sing about that delinquent nonsense. I’ve never even heard of this Two-pack fella.”
The station faces a $500 FCC fine for the incident, due to the song’s profanity and racial slurs.
“Forgive me, Mama and Papa. And forgive me, Lord. This ain’t the cowboy way.”
The song was released as a B-side to “How Do U Want It” in 1996, the year Shakur died. In recent years, it was remained popular due to a YouTube video of Barney the Dinosaur “lip syncing” the song.
http://www.cnn.com/entertainment/feat-country-radio-station-rapper-tupac/index.html