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.”

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

Some more for you..........and just so you know, I think Al Sharpton and Farrakhan are just as bad as Racist Oreilly

Well, at least you're consistent. I'll give you that.

BTW, I will never take anything from the daily kos seriously.

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

theres no "if" it's a fact. whats funny is that you say you went places you cant even spell. and the letters you are using arent even close to the letters on the keybaord so no mistake there, WTF???

I give up, you obviously dont have any intentions of taking anything I say seriously regardless of some spelling errors. You took the IF thing way out of context, I was not questioning were you are from.

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

Dottefan, can you provide links for those? I'm not disputing them, just curious where they're coming from.

Here are some links.

http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.c...illy-a-racist/

http://mediamatters.org/research/200604140009

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2...ling-michigan/

http://blogcritics.org/culture/artic...illy-a-racist/

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1147

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Well, at least you're consistent. I'll give you that.

BTW, I will never take anything from the daily kos seriously.

I think they are all in the same boat.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

Here are some links.

http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.c...illy-a-racist/

Good article. I think Bill O'Reilly probably falls under the ignorant side judging from these comments and some others. Not defending those comments, though.

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Good article. I think Bill O'Reilly probably falls under the ignorant side judging from these comments and some others. Not defending those comments, though.

I dont throw around the term bigot or racist ...but as far as Bill goes, He fits into the category just like Farrakhan would

[FAX]

Originally Posted by Micjones

Fax I've always taken you as an intelligent and reasonable man.
I would hate to have to rethink my position.

This grandstanding over the work you've done with Sudanese refugees (while noble and admirable) doesn't put you in a position to somehow subjugate Black people in America. There are consistent efforts being led by Black people to help advance refugees such as the ones you've come into contact with. All over the United States...and all over the world.

You know, I always felt the same way about you, Mr. Micjones. Overly sensitive on occasion, perhaps. Often myopic and stubborn, but a very smart, thoughtful human being nonetheless.

But, please feel free to rethink your position on me. You have my permission and I encourage you to do so.

Also, you should know that, if the "grandstanding" comment is an attempt to demean my efforts and those of the other people who work with the Sudanese, it's actually pretty effective. You're right. I need to find something else to do and let those poor bastards find their own way ... some of them will be dead inside a year, but what the hell? It beats "grandstanding". I spent three entire days "grandstanding" in a hospital room beside the bed of Jacob - one of the boys who was in a car accident because the "church folk" initially responsible for him didn't teach him how to drive properly. That "grandstanding" is some overrated shit, I'm telling you.

Maybe I'll take on the dress code at the country club instead.

FAX

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by FAX

You know, I always felt the same way about you, Mr. Micjones. Overly sensitive on occasion, perhaps. Often myopic and stubborn, but a very smart, thoughtful human being nonetheless.

But, please feel free to rethink your position on me. You have my permission and I encourage you to do so.

Also, you should know that, if the "grandstanding" comment is an attempt to demean my efforts and those of the other people who work with the Sudanese, it's actually pretty effective. You're right. I need to find something else to do and let those poor bastards find their own way ... some of them will be dead inside a year, but what the hell? It beats "grandstanding". I spent three entire days "grandstanding" in a hospital room beside the bed of Jacob - one of the boys who was in a car accident because the "church folk" initially responsible for him didn't teach him how to drive properly. That "grandstanding" is some overrated shit, I'm telling you.

Maybe I'll take on the dress code at the country club instead.

FAX

HI fax.........so what about our issue. I was not trying to take away from the fact that you help Sudanese people, that is a great thing. I did not mean that you should "take care of home first" when I said I was helping out people in the inner city and you werent. I could see how you would take that way and the is totaly not what I ment. Regarding comparing the PL district to what is happing with the Sudanese, what I was meaning was , what those refugees are going through is way bigger then an issue we have with a dress code. I told you over and over again that I was not attacking your efforts....and what did you do? you attacked the kids I work with and my efforts.. you should look in the mirror next time before you start attacking people.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by FAX

You know, I always felt the same way about you, Mr. Micjones. Overly sensitive on occasion, perhaps. Often myopic and stubborn, but a very smart, thoughtful human being nonetheless.

But, please feel free to rethink your position on me. You have my permission and I encourage you to do so.

Also, you should know that, if the "grandstanding" comment is an attempt to demean my efforts and those of the other people who work with the Sudanese, it's actually pretty effective. You're right. I need to find something else to do and let those poor bastards find their own way ... some of them will be dead inside a year, but what the hell? It beats "grandstanding". I spent three entire days "grandstanding" in a hospital room beside the bed of Jacob - one of the boys who was in a car accident because the "church folk" initially responsible for him didn't teach him how to drive properly. That "grandstanding" is some overrated shit, I'm telling you.

Maybe I'll take on the dress code at the country club instead.

FAX

I'm sure the Sudanese refugees would appreciate you beating us over the head with your philanthropic efforts and wearing them like a badge of humanitarian honor. All while you're calling their uninterested American brethren cockeyed hat wearing miscreants? Miscreants who only aspire to sell crack and have illegitimate children...Did I get that, right?

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

. you should look in the mirror next time before you start attacking people.

MAYBE you should do the same, you are guilty of dismissing everything i had to say as me being a bigot and "never lived the life". your tone changed when i threw out that i lived in juniper gardens(a place an outsider probably wouldnt know) isnt that exactly what you are pissed about here, sterotyping? you THOUGHT i was an older affluent white guy who has lived in J/O my whole life with a silver spoon. you are wrong.

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

MAYBE you should do the same, you are guilty of dismissing everything i had to say as me being a bigot and "never lived the life". your tone changed when i threw out that i lived in juniper gardens(a place an outsider probably wouldnt know) isnt that exactly what you are pissed about here, sterotyping? you THOUGHT i was an older affluent white guy who has lived in J/O my whole life with a silver spoon. you are wrong.

lol..when did i say that? **** off, you really think you know me? and how do I know your not just a former cluck who used get work from the boys down in the jets? you know.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

lol..when did i say that? **** off, you really think you know me? and how do I know your not just a former cluck who used get work from the boys down in the jets? you know.

you have said that no one in this thread knows what they are talking about many times. i do. and now i love how you want to try and talk gangster, cluck, boys, jets, i can at least spell the places i talk of you on the other hand cant. what's more believable?

[Dottefan]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

you have said that no one in this thread knows what they are talking about many times. i do. and now i love how you want to try and talk gangster, cluck, boys, jets, i can at least spell the places i talk of you on the other hand cant. what's more believable?

man you just dont give up do you..lol...so you want me to play net thug with you and prove how "hood" I am ..lol...your lame bro. You have no facts to back up your shit. GO FIND A POST THAT SHOWS I CALLED YOU ANY OF THOSE THINGS. I am no thug, I am no gangster. I work, and go to school. I do however have life long friends that are still in the game. I have friends that are not. I know where I am from. You sound the fake little buster on the net trying to call some one out for not being "hood" enough...I mean really bro, why take that angle? if you really want to find out about me, I would be more then glad to meet you some place today and take you down to my city and show you around and let you meet some of my kids I work with ,and the homies I grew up with...if I did this would that validate my "hoodness" enough for you...lol...

[FAX]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

HI fax.........so what about our issue. I was not trying to take away from the fact that you help Sudanese people, that is a great thing. I did not mean that you should "take care of home first" when I said I was helping out people in the inner city and you werent. I could see how you would take that way and the is totaly not what I ment. Regarding comparing the PL district to what is happing with the Sudanese, what I was meaning was , what those refugees are going through is way bigger then an issue we have with a dress code. I told you over and over again that I was not attacking your efforts....and what did you do? you attacked the kids I work with and my efforts.. you should look in the mirror next time before you start attacking people.

In retrospect, I think we were talking past each other for the most part - at least in the beginning.

Here's how I feel about it ...

I've played in blues and R&B bands since I was in my early teens - often the only white face in a club. Today, I enjoy the company of black comrades. I'm comfortable around them and they are comfortable with me. We share a lot of common interests and they're always welcome in my home ... as I am in theirs.

It was for this reason (my general comfort in the company of black people) that I was asked by the beautiful and witty Mrs. FAX to take responsibility for a couple dozen of the lost boys. It wasn't something I wanted to do initially, so I take no credit for it - nor do I think it's anything particularly special.

In fact, the ONLY REASON I brought it up was as a counterpoint to the notion that a dress code could warrant so much animosity when there are many other and far more important race-related problems to be addressed in this world. In my experience, I see black people upset over a dress code but I don't see them helping black refugees gain a foothold in this country. I don't know the reason why, so I inquired of people who might have some insight into the issue. If that question hit a nerve or if you believe that a white guy isn't allowed to question the black community's motives or priorities, you're not being honest. You're just one more black assuming that whitey doesn't get it so you come out swinging.

Everybody approaches the race question from a different point of view, that much will never change. Each individual's perspective is based on that person's own life experience and how their attitudes are molded and influenced at a young age. Speaking for myself, I learned to play the blues from black men. I owe them a lot for that because it changed the course of my life.

And here's what I've learned from them ... that there is pain everywhere in this life. Black pain. White pain. Yellow pain. All colors of pain. Every shade and hue.

You can find it everywhere if you look for it. And sometimes it finds you.

My previous posts weren't intended to demean or degrade the kids you say you help. That would be silly. They were directed at you. I will not muzzle myself because I'm white. I'll speak to a black person with respect unless or until he proves himself to be a dipshit. But, I won't sugar-coat the truth and, if the truth is ugly, so be it. I didn't create this world, I just live in it. So, if you want to focus your attention and expend your energy on fighting a dress code that excludes the perceived gang culture, fine. But I'm not going to help you with that. If you want to blame whitey for your problems, fine. But count me out.

Why? Because I'm tired of people who don't take responsibility for that pain. Because we're all responsible. All of us. We create it and we can make a lot of it go away ... if we're willing.

Don't piss on the leg of a man who makes an effort to help - regardless of his color. That's the best advice I can offer on the subject.

FAX

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

man you just dont give up do you..lol...so you want me to play net thug with you and prove how "hood" I am ..lol...your lame bro. You have no facts to back up your shit. GO FIND A POST THAT SHOWS I CALLED YOU ANY OF THOSE THINGS. I am no thug, I am no gangster. I work, and go to school. I do however have life long friends that are still in the game. I have friends that are not. I know where I am from. You sound the fake little buster on the net trying to call some one out for not being "hood" enough...I mean really bro, why take that angle? if you really want to find out about me, I would be more then glad to meet you some place today and take you down to my city and show you around and let you meet some of my kids I work with ,and the homies I grew up with...if I did this would that validate my "hoodness" enough for you...lol...

NOW once again i'm not from where i say i'm from huh? trust me i dont need you to show me around. i know my way.