There has been HUGE controversy over Jay-Z headlining at Glastonbury this year. To the point where people have boycotted the event, and it was even blamed as the reason the festival didn’t sell out for the first time in years.

It had really been bugging me as I really couldn’t see what everyone’s problem was. I had always seen Glastonbury as the festival that didn’t lean to one particular music genre, they have had Kylie and Shirely Bassey in recent years, and even had Neil Diamond this year. Nevermind that tickets usually sell out before the line-up is announced. Wasn’t this the festival that was just as much about the experience as the line-up?

I’m very much determined by the line-up so haven’t really ever considered Glastonbury (which is usually a stupid move as they tend to have anyone and everyone I’d want to see) and so didn’t even think about it this year. To be honest when I heard Jay-Z was playing I regretted that decision. What an inspired choice, I thought.

Then the criticism began and I really was shocked by it and couldn’t figure it out. If it had been a festival such as Download that is aimed at particular music fans I would’ve understood. Why were people so bothered? I was a little ashamed of this reaction of a demographic I supposedly belong to, are we youngsters really that narrow-minded?

I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, is it that it’s hip hop?, surely it can’t be as Lupe Fiasco and Dizzie Rascal, both playing this year, haven’t had any backlash. And if an act like DJ Shadow had been billed no-one would’ve minded, perhaps even Kanye West would’ve been accepted.

Is it what Jay-Z represents, are Glastonbury fans against someone with that lifestyle, wife, and bank balance? Is this just absolute snobbery? I think that’s the most plausible reason.

Amy Winehouse got it right when she asked ‘where the black people were’ during her performance, a point that no-one seems to mention, that festivals essentially attract middle-class white kids, also rarely remembered that the biggest buyer of most hip-hop are white kids. She also was incredibly positive about Jay-Z as was Beth Ditto during her set. It was great to see that at least the fellow performers could go beyond the ignorance.

And then he performed, I really suggest you watch the set as it’s simply amazing. As despite the reported critical reception the crowd is enormous and everytime he pauses the entire crowd fills in the lyric, I couldn’t be more proud to see all the naysayers proved wrong.

Jay-Z’s full set at Glastonbury