A Spanish rapper on the run in Belgium from a three-and-a-half year prison sentence has told the BBC that he does not regret any of his lyrics.
Josep Miguel Arenas Beltram, known to his fans as Valtònyc, was convicted in May of insulting the Spanish royal family and glorifying terrorism.
In one song Valtònyc, 24, raps: “The king has a rendezvous at the village square, with a noose around his neck.”
He has been released on bail pending a decision on his extradition to Spain.
Valtònyc, who had said that “disobedience is legitimate and a duty” before he went on the run in May, says that his lyrics are merely designed to provoke people into examining their attitudes and reactions.
“The motivation is to provoke, like any artist. I look at Picasso's Guernica and it makes me feel powerlessness, it makes me feel rage,” he told the BBC's Gavin Lee on Thursday.
“This doesn't mean you should ban it. All artists try to do this, to provoke and uncover attitudes, and experiment with people's reactions,” he added.
In his music, some of which has been released through a…
