Mud-slinging

As a boxing fan there is nothing, for me, like the build up to an eagerly awaited dust up. Often months in the hype and build-up, and bristling with necessary hubris, the barely contained threat of impending violence and cagey verbal pot-shots, the excitement, at times, is almost touchable. And so, here in the soggy summer of the UK do we witness a similar phenomenon, but this time to be played out on a stage in the countryside of deepest Somerset, rather than a glitzy ring in Sin City.

There will still be celebrity ring-siders a-plenty, but the battle being waged is not pugilistic, but rather a battle of cultures, a very real war of words, and the music that supports them. For this weekend sees the annual Glastonbury Festival, an occurrence of such legendary status in the musical calendar, in the UK and beyond, as to be virtually sacrosanct. Up there with the right to have a cup of tea and a biscuit at will, and to moan about the weather, in the list of non-assailable British cultural rights. But this year, all is not well down on the farm, for chosen to headline the iconic main stage on the second night of the three-night jamboree, is none other than the ruler himself, Jay-Z. And to judge by the controversy this has stirred here in the UK you would have thought that Hova had bum-rushed Buckingham Palace and given the Queen the "good news" on the royal balcony.

But no, instead he has just agreed to do a gig. And yet the stalwarts of the festival are up in arms, claiming a betrayal of the festival's long and proud history by this choice of act. You see Glastonbury, with its self-styled hippy origins, is traditionally focused on guitar-based music. Indeed it is the grand-daddy of such festivals, an indie Mecca, and the archetype of outdoor mayhem. As such, it is rare that the choice of headline acts is not commented on, but few line-ups have ever caused such heated wars of words, spurred on by the vox populi of the internet of course. Indeed there is a nasty undercurrent to some such comments, a disdain for Jay-Z and hip-hop that borders, and sometimes crashes right into a bizarre form of musical, but more alarmingly ethnic bigotry.

However, that is just the idiocy of some people and not for investigation here. The vitriol unearthed is interesting though, even prompting Jay himself to dedicate a section of his website to it, if only for the traffic. Of course, the man himself may be surprised by the level of controversy, but is unlikely to be fazed. My bet is that he will perform a stormer to slay the crowd and silence any critics. Of course it will not be enough for some, but then we all know that determined haters exist everywhere, even muddy fields in the British countryside. But with rumours that the Roots are due to perform backing details, don't bet against a classic show.

The festival has some previous form for alternative acts stealing the plaudits, most usually dance acts such as Orbital's killer set in 1994, as well as the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx and Moby, as well as a history of rappers performing well. It's just the hip-hoppers were always lower down the bill. Whatever the case, expect the controversy to continue whatever transpires, because where Glastonbury is concerned, usually washed out by the rain of British summer, mud-slinging is the only real tradition that sticks.