50 Cent not welcome in Canada

Hip-hop star 50 Cent could be banned from performing in Canada next month, if a crusading gun-crime politician has his way.

The In Da Club hitmaker, real name Curtis Jackson, faces opposition for allegedly promoting gun violence, in his rap lyrics and with new film Get Rich Or Die Tryin'.

MP Dan McTeague fears that his upcoming tour, which kicks off in Vancouver on December 3, will incite gangland brawls and potentially escalate the recent wave of fatal shootings in the country.

He is lobbying for 50 Cent, whose criminal record forces him to obtain official permission before entering Canada, to be refused entry.

McTeague says: "This is not a question of censorship. This is a question of trying to protect impressionable young men in our communities who are being destroyed in the prime of their lives.

"I don't think the people of Toronto want to hear Mr Jackson's harmful message right now."

Gun crime and gang wars have claimed 49 lives in Toronto alone this year.

50 Cent's last concert in the city in 2003 was marred by a fatal shooting outside the theatre, while his gig in Montreal prompted brawls.