A Mobile-based comedian found a creative way to mark the first anniversary of the nation’s worst offshore oil disaster, releasing a satirical rap single that channeled the frustration and dark humor many Gulf Coast residents felt in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.
William Masters, a local comedian who performs under the stage name Sir William Masters, released the track in April 2011, roughly one year after the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 workers and triggered a massive crude oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. Masters had previously covered anti-BP protests held in Mobile’s Bienville Square during the height of the crisis in 2010.
A Disaster That Reshaped the Gulf Coast
The Deepwater Horizon rig, operating on BP’s Macondo Prospect roughly 40 miles off the Louisiana coast, exploded on April 20, 2010. In the three months before the wellhead was capped on July 15, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
The environmental and economic toll was staggering. Tar balls washed ashore along hundreds of miles of coastline, and by late November 2010, more than 4,200 square miles of Gulf waters had been re-closed to shrimping after contamination was discovered in commercial nets. Along the Louisiana coast alone, more than 320 miles of shoreline were impacted. Wetland marsh grasses were fouled and dying, and researchers found undegraded crude oil on the ocean floor as late as February 2011.
South Alabama’s fishing and tourism industries, vital economic engines for communities from Bayou La Batre to Orange Beach, suffered severe disruptions. Skimmer ships, containment booms, and chemical dispersants were deployed across the region in an attempt to limit the damage, while scientists documented massive underwater plumes of dissolved oil and an 80-square-mile dead zone surrounding the blown well.
Comedy as Commentary
Masters’ musical response to the disaster reflected a broader trend along the Gulf Coast, where artists, musicians, and comedians processed the trauma and anger of the spill through creative expression. The satirical approach gave voice to the frustration felt by many coastal residents who watched their livelihoods and environment suffer while BP and federal agencies grappled with the unprecedented cleanup effort.
The U.S. government ultimately named BP as the responsible party for the disaster, and the company acknowledged mistakes that contributed to the blowout. The lengthy process of environmental restoration and claims settlement would continue for years afterward, reshaping the relationship between the oil industry and Gulf Coast communities.