Rapper Aitch says he felt city's anger over Ian Curtis mural fail

Rapper Aitch has told how he felt like "the most hated person in Manchester" after a mural of music icon Ian Curtis was painted over with an Amazon Music advert for his album.

The promo for Close to Home was put up over a work depicting the Joy Division singer, which artist Akse P19 created for a mental health campaign in 2020.

Aitch said it was now being reinstated, but he was left "fuming" at the mix-up.

Amazon Music said it apologised to everyone who was "justifiably upset".

The mural of the singer, who took his own life at his home in 1980 shortly before the Salford band were due to go on tour in the US, was put up on Port Street in Manchester city centre for World Mental Health Day in 2020.

The painting over of it was criticised by city residents and music fans, and was condemned by the artist, Curtis's former bandmate Peter Hook and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

The Manchester rapper, whose real name is Harrison James Armstrong, told BBC Breakfast that he found out what had happened on social media and acted immediately.

"I seen it on Twitter... when there was an outrage burst of like, 'what's Aitch doing putting his album over Ian's mural?', and then I was like, 'oh god, what's this?'," he said.

"I don't pick and choose where I put my billboards or album promo.

"I just wake up and drive past it, or see it on the internet, just like everyone else."

He said the situation had left him "fuming for two reasons".

"I was fuming for Ian, and his people and what that mural stands for, and then I was fuming for myself, because I was having such a good week," he said.

"I was like, 'the album is coming out in a couple of days, I can't wait, everything's going so well', and then next minute, I was the most hated person in Manchester for about 40 minutes.

"But it was out of my control and there was nothing I could do, apart from put a stop to it and get it fixed, and obviously that's exactly what I've done, so I think everyone is my friend again now."

In a statement, Amazon Music said it had asked an ad agency to create a mural in the rapper's hometown, but "unbeknownst to us or to Aitch, the wall the agency chose... already had mural on it".

"As soon as we learned this, we ordered the production to stop and are working with Aitch to restore or replace the original," a company representative said.

"Our apologies to all who are justifiably upset."

Akse P19 said on Instagram that he had been in touch with the rapper's management, the agency working on behalf of Amazon Music and Manchester City Council, and they were all now "working together to try to get the Ian Curtis mural reinstated".