- Rapper was on the long list with three awards at this year's prestigious awards
- To be tried before July 1 on charges of raping a woman twice in 2021
- He has 'categorically denied' the claims, despite being banned from festivals
A row has broken out after British rapper Slowthai was nominated for three BRIT Awards while facing two rape charges.
The 28-year-old made the longlists for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act respectively ahead of the ceremony in March.
Tyron Kaymone Frampton, also known as Slowthai, will be tried before July 1 as he is accused of raping a woman twice in September 2021 after a concert that took place in Oxford during a British tour.
The Northampton-born rapper appeared before the city's magistrates in May.
He has 'categorically denied' the claims but was removed from the Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festival line-ups following his court appearance.
Tyron Kaymone Frampton, also known as Slowthai, will be tried before July 1 after being accused of raping a woman twice in September 2021
British rapper Slowthai was nominated for three BRIT Awards while facing two rape charges
His stage name comes from his childhood nickname: Frampton had a speech impediment that caused him to speak slowly and in a drawl.
The rapper, whose first album Nothing Great About Britain was nominated for a Mercury award in 2019 and reached the Top 10, was charged in Oxford in September 2021 with oral and vaginal penetration of a woman without her consent.
However, he will attend the prestigious awards ceremony held at the O2 Arena in South East London.
The BRIT Awards Committee has the power to disqualify any artist if it deems they have brought the awards into 'disrepute'.
The 28-year-old Brit has 'categorically denied' the claims, but he was removed from the Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festival line-ups following his court appearance
Women's Aid said organizers should “think carefully” about how to nominate Slowthai and take into account the feelings of survivors of rape and sexual assault.
A spokeswoman said: 'For many survivors of abuse, his inclusion on the list will be a sign that rape is not taken seriously.
“With the awards ceremony before the court date, organizers must consider that if this man wins a category, how women who have survived rape will feel seeing an alleged rapist being celebrated in such a public way.”
Showthai, who is charged along with 25-year-old Alex Walker from London, who denies rape and sexual assault, wrote on Instagram: “I am innocent and I am confident that my name will be cleared.”
A spokeswoman for BRIT Awards and another for sponsor Mastercard did not comment when contacted.