UK rapper Aitch has apologized for covering up an iconic mural of Ian Curtis in Manchester with an ad for his new album.
The mural advertisement for Aitch's upcoming album Close to Home was unveiled on Tuesday (August 16), and many people online were quick to notice that it had replaced a painting of the Joy Division frontman. Aitch reacted swiftly, saying he wasn't aware of the plans to cover the iconic landmark.
"It's come to light that the iconic Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork," he tweeted. "This is the first time I've heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian."
Curtis's former bandmate Peter Hook accepted the rapper's apology, quote tweeting Aitch's statement saying "Thank you @OfficialAitch great gesture. 👍."
The Port Street mural of Ian Curtis was painted in 2020 by graffiti artist Akse P19, who has also voiced his concerns about the mural's destruction. Citing that the Curtis mural was created to spread awareness about local mental health initiatives, he said in an Instagram post, "It doesn't take much common sense to understand that this mural should have remained for what it represented and stood for."
Close to Home is set to drop Friday (August 19).
The mural advertisement for Aitch's upcoming album Close to Home was unveiled on Tuesday (August 16), and many people online were quick to notice that it had replaced a painting of the Joy Division frontman. Aitch reacted swiftly, saying he wasn't aware of the plans to cover the iconic landmark.
"It's come to light that the iconic Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork," he tweeted. "This is the first time I've heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian."
Curtis's former bandmate Peter Hook accepted the rapper's apology, quote tweeting Aitch's statement saying "Thank you @OfficialAitch great gesture. 👍."
The Port Street mural of Ian Curtis was painted in 2020 by graffiti artist Akse P19, who has also voiced his concerns about the mural's destruction. Citing that the Curtis mural was created to spread awareness about local mental health initiatives, he said in an Instagram post, "It doesn't take much common sense to understand that this mural should have remained for what it represented and stood for."
Close to Home is set to drop Friday (August 19).
