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Ohio Radio Station Censors LeBron James From Jay-Z Song

December 16th 2010 4:30PM


Prince Williams, Getty Images

Cleveland fans do not easily forgive or forget.

When Cavaliers star LeBron James announced that he'd be leaving Cleveland for the Miami Heat, Cav's fans were crushed. Now, a Cleveland radio station has made steps to banish Lebron's name from Cleveland airwaves forever.

The line from Jay-Z's 2009 smash hit 'Empire State of Mind,' "[if] Jeezy's paying LeBron, I'm paying Dwayne Wade," has been censored to remove mention of the "traitor's" name on Cleveland's 96.5 KISS FM. KISS radio personality Joel "Java" Murphy explained that the edit was made out of concern for Cleveland fans.

"I was playing the song and realized that the word 'Lebron' is as offensive to some people as the 'Seven Words You Can't Say on the Radio,'" Java said. "So, I suggested to our programming department that we should treat the name 'LeBron' similarly."

While the Akron, Ohio native who promised to bring a national championship to his beleaguered city is no longer welcome on Cleveland's friendly airwaves, he did return to play a little ball recently, destroying his former team. "It was nothing personal for myself against the fans. It won't be, ever," LeBron said after the game. "I understand their frustration."

The feeling does not appear to be mutual.

Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys, 'Empire State of Mind'
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