Incident at P&L District shocks DJ Jazzy Jeff

[Deberg_1990]

Wow......Unreal.



http://www.kansascity.com/226/story/1238798.html



Another day, another racial controversy at the Power & Light District.

For a year, the black community has been in arms about perceived racism at the entertainment district, a place their tax money helped fund. But it’s always rebutted. Everyone is welcome at the P&L, officials say.

Well, those who follow the hip-hop music scene have more to chew on since late Saturday night, when one of hip-hop’s icons, DJ Jazzy Jeff, cut short a set of music and left the stage in a dispute over the kind of music his show was spinning.

I walked in just as he was walking off the stage. He had performed less than 30 minutes.

The crowd booed and I heard people, both black and white, yell about how the Power & Light didn’t want him to play hip-hop. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I knew it was bad.

A conversation I had with him early Sunday confirmed it.

He might be best known as one half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, but he is more than Will Smith’s old DJ and friend. The two won the first rap Grammy.

Jeff Townes, his given name, is legendary. He introduced “transforming,” the scratching technique turntablists use. This man has toured for 25 years. He’s an acclaimed producer.

So what exactly happened?

According to his tweets (twitter.com/djjazzyjeff215), he was kicked offstage for playing hip-hop. Jon Stephens, president of the Power & Light District, says it was about the sound levels.

“The issue that arose with the performance last night was completely about the sound levels,” he said Sunday. “His audio tech was maxing out the sound system to a point that risked damage to the speakers and sound system. His sound techs and management refused to bring the decibel level down. They were told to bring it down or cease performance. They refused to go on.”

Hours after he returned to his Philadelphia home, I spoke to Jazzy Jeff on the phone to hear his side.

His set started with sounds of hip-hop and pop favorites — Jay-Z, Biz Markie, Rihanna. His MC, Skillz, hyped up the crowd.

But after 15 minutes or so, in the middle of an R&B hit by Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent,” he was told to stop.

“My road manager walked up to me and said they were having problems with the music I was playing,” Jazzy Jeff told me. “I played three more songs and he comes back. I knew something was wrong. They said I had to kick Skillz off the stage, change the format of the music I was playing or quit. They said if I continued playing they had 30 cops ready to come escort me offstage. So I stopped.”

Jon Stephens says that isn’t so.

“Obviously we have a desire to book a diversity of acts,” he said. “We booked Jazzy Jeff on a Saturday night, the biggest night of the week in the district. We were excited to have him there. It’s unfortunate that his sound and management people had problems adhering to the sound and audio rules. We wanted him to play. That’s why we booked him.”

Jazzy Jeff was excited to play here too.

But it all went wrong. Venue officials said the set attracted the wrong kind of element, he says.

“They said they didn’t like Skillz’s posture,” Jeff said. “They said he made gang-like signs and grabbed at his genitals.”

So P&L officials wanted him offstage. But Jeff felt it was wrong because Skillz is no gang member. He is a father. His hand gestures were the kind of excited movements you make to get the crowd excited.

He wasn’t cursing or being offensive.

“I was playing Rihanna; she is Top 40,” he says. “If they would have let my set play, they would have known I play everything. I play rock, funk, soul, pop, hip-hop, reggae. I don’t play for a certain genre, race or gender. I play for music lovers.”

In his 25-year career, at 44 years old, Jeff has never been told to end a set because of hip-hop. He says he has never felt that kind of racism. The “element” that officials referred to felt like a reference to black people, a hip-hop crowd.

“I’m in shock,” he says. “I didn’t understand what element they were talking about. I looked out in the crowd and it was multicultural, but about 75 percent white. Everyone was having a great time. I wondered what was so offensive. I never had a race issue. I didn’t know how to feel. I was playing ‘Just a Friend.’ Is that offensive? What element? It’s uncomfortable when you feel unwanted.”

[Kyle DeLexus]

Originally Posted by frazod

All us 50 year old rich White men will be dead, too.

DAMMIT CARL

With improving tech. rich white men could make it up to 120 yo by then

[FAX]

The important thing to remember is that, regardless of whether you are black, white, brown, yellow, red, or a light pink shade with dusky overtones, sandpaper pussy hurts like a mother.

FAX

[Kyle DeLexus]

Originally Posted by FAX

The important thing to remember is that, regardless of whether you are black, white, brown, yellow, red, or a light pink shade with dusky overtones, sandpaper pussy hurts like a mother.

FAX

You truly know how to bring us all together!

[wild1]

everyone is wrong here, really. because of our political and media driven culture, racism gets sensationalized whether it's happening or not. as a result white people are too quick to dismiss possible racism and minorities are too quick to charge racism, i think. what it all adds up to is that no honest examination of it ever happens. everyone just aligns by default.

[Thig Lyfe]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Nice try, but only 1 of 3 fit your definition. And that's really stretching it, IMO. Anyone who says that only white people can be racist is a ****ing moron.

Dictionary definitions are incredibly narrow. Racism is far too complex to be defined in a few imprecise words. The dictionary doesn't have the space nor inclination to take into account the actual social ramifications of racism and therefore provides these oversimplified definitions so it can move on to the next word. Not to mention that the rampant misappropriation of the term "racism" is probably what's to blame for those other two definitions. When enough people misuse a word enough times, it takes on that meaning.

What is it with you guys' obsession with the dictionary anyway? What is this, the introduction to a sixth grader's essay on freedom?

[Thig Lyfe]

And anyway, I'd argue that 2 of those 3 definitions you provided fit my definition. Having "the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others" is what created the system of white advantage and thus anybody who subscribes to that idea is perpetuating the system.

[Kyle DeLexus]

Originally Posted by SportsRacer

And anyway, I'd argue that 2 of those 3 definitions you provided fit my definition. Having "the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others" is what created the system of white advantage and thus anybody who subscribes to that idea is perpetuating the system.

But if you discriminate another race wouldn't that mean you believe your own race is superior?

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Pot meet kettle. I think you have proven to be one of the biggest bigots in this thread. The only thing that I can't figure out is if you are too ****ing stupid to realize it or if you just don't care.

Like I said before, I hate racism. That means all forms of it.

This.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by macdawg

I don't like Jazzy Jeff getting shut down, but I do believe that the day you let P&L get thugged out is the day all the businesses there go out of business.

Mark my words, allow gangbangers inside or people who emulate gangbangers and shootings will occur, people with money will stop going whether they are black or white.

Exactly.

[Pioli Zombie]

"We've been good to you Nigroes haven't we? If you want to go the law says I can't stop you no more. But if you stay I'll let you each work a small piece of land. Mind you, I can't pay you nothing, but you can eats the food you grow, and you won't be shot at any more I can promise ya that".
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[Demonpenz]

sometimes I stick my chest out and say, hey i worked hard for what I got without putting walking a mile in another mans clothes, let me tell you it is hard to see with the titled cap, the chains rubbed my nippes raw, and i tripped over my saggy pants, Now I see why they are so pissed off

[Demonpenz]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

obviously none of us will change our minds.. I think the majority of you that posted in this thread are semi bigots, and the only reason you posted was to get your concervative republican pro white male points accross. You know nothing of what it is like to be a minority in this country and you dont care. You think all we do is wine about racism, and god forbid if we complain when there is racism. THere is still alot of prejudice in this country, but hey , if I say that I am just playing the race card..lol..its cool in 50 years you will be the minority and hopefully you dont have to deal with the crap we do.

I hear ya, but I would think that there are bigger race battles out there to be won other than, pull up your pants homie, when they allow more people who dress street in there, and shit goes down, congrats you just cemented home to a shitload of white people the stereotype they have. Of course then you will be forced to bitch about something else instead of looking at what the problem really is.

[Pioli Zombie]

My thing is y'all is you shouldn't judge y'all cuz my thing is, you don't know. I mean. What I'm sayin is that...ok my thing is that you need to hear the other side y'all.
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[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

Reading between the lines, Jeff may actually believe and have been told that by his people. It makes his management look better to be railing against the man than to admit they thought they were above the rules.

DINGDINGDING! That's exactly what I took from it. The claims are so ridiculous, I'm sure Jeff is just going off of what his managers said, and they either misunderstood what the P&L people were saying or decided to read between the lines and make it something it wasn't.

[Pioli Zombie]

At least they aren't Jews.
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