Sponsor withdraws from Jamaican concerts

Brewing company Red Stripe says it will not sponsor several upcoming concerts in Jamaica because of increasingly violent lyrics.

The company has withdrawn thousands of dollars in sponsorship from the popular Reggae Sumfest and Sting reggae show. Musicians are glorifying violence in what has become a worrisome trend, the company said in a statement.

Several Jamaican musicians have been criticised abroad for their violent anti-gay lyrics, including Buju Banton, who is scheduled to sing at Sumfest this year.

Red Stripe is owned by British food and drink company Diageo, which bought it about a decade ago from Jamaica's Desnoes and Geddes.