Hip hop fuels gun crime, says star

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He said some parts of the UK were now worse than the notorious Bronx.

The British Mercury Prize-nominated star, real name Adrian Thaws, told Uncut magazine: "I love hip hop. But it has to take some responsibility for the gun culture we've got over here. We're getting super-violent."

He added: "You can walk around the Bronx for days on end and nobody bothers you. In England, you can say the wrong thing in a pub and, before you know it, you've got a bottle over your head or a bullet in your brain. English people have got quicker tempers."

Tricky, 40, also blames modern-day wardrobes for today's violence.

The musician, singer and producer said: "What have they got to get them through hard times? We had punk rock and ska and bands that made you feel you could do anything.

"We were into clothes in a big way. Anything to take our minds off the stress. They don't have to think about getting dressed. They get the baseball cap and trainers on, that's all it is.

"But they've got nothing to take the pressure off. That's maybe why they are more violent than we were. That and the fact they have access to serious artillery.

"We used to throw stones at each other. Now they shoot bullets at each other. Hip hop has got a lot to do with that."

Tricky, whose release Maxinquaye was named the 36th Greatest British Album Ever by Q Magazine, added: "I'm a nice, peaceful guy but I wouldn't stop to help (US President) Bush, no way. I'd like to torture him actually."