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.”

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Since no one is really seeing anything I'm typing anyway, I'm gonna put some more out there. Most of you posting in this thread give me the impression that you just want to be angry. Let me know how that improves your lives one of these days.

i dont want, nor am i, to be angry.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Believe me bro, I wasn't taking a shot at you with that statement. But I am trying to make a statement. I am not going to fall into this "message board" mentality. This is far too important of an issue to just chalk up to internet shenanigans.

Real people post behind the keyboard, and whatever they'd have us believe, I know they're capable of real thought, and looking at things from another perspective. Most people want to be good, and do the right thing. They often times just don't know how.

I know that you weren't taking a shot at me. But you were making a Kotter-esque attempt at false equivocation, which I never enjoy seeing.

As to the second paragraph, I'm constantly aware that real people are behind the posts. And if there is anything I've learned from interacting with real people all of my life it is that most of them aren't capable of the kind of thought that you think they are. I do agree that most people want to be good... but then again most bigots think they are good.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Micjones

I never bothered to mention other personal friends of mine who were standing by the soundbooth that said the engineers had no idea why the plug had been pulled.

and why have you left that out all day?

[KcMizzou]

All this makes me think of Tech's song "Let Me In".

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

All this makes me think of Tech's song "Let Me In".

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by Micjones

Again, it's all speculative and I can't speak to that part of it.
I said that already.

But I suppose you know how the contract was structured so I'll defer to your wisdom.

why are ou speculating? just call your buddy and ask.


it's simple contractual terms....there typically is a cancellation penalty and typically reimbursement of costs (substantiated) to date. Typically this could not exceed the full consideration of the contract, so worse case Cordish paid the full contract amount, would have saved some marketing and associated costs, and a tremendous amount of bad PR. Then they could have sought to book a more Cordish-friendly whitebread act.


But yeah, it makes more sense to go ahead and pay for the show, all the associated costs, and then cancel it halfway in and dream up some excuse and weather the PR storm.

[Katipan]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

All this makes me think of Tech's song "Let Me In".

Makes me reenact Get Blowed.

[Mr. Krab]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

and why have you left that out all day?

Because the background of this website is white and he doesn't feel the need to help DA Man out.

[Mr. Krab]

Originally Posted by Katipan

Makes me reenact Get Blowed.

Sounds dirty, can i help?

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

I know that you weren't taking a shot at me. But you were making a Kotter-esque attempt at false equivocation, which I never enjoy seeing.

As to the second paragraph, I'm constantly aware that real people are behind the posts. And if there is anything I've learned from interacting with real people all of my life it is that most of them aren't capable of the kind of thought that you think they are. I do agree that most people want to be good... but then again most bigots think they are good.

I don't think being optimistic about mankind's potential is equal to false equivocating. Maybe they're not going to be Rhodes Scholars. But this isn't rocket science we're discussing here. It's basic human rights, and I believe it's just going to take a shit ton of repetition from multiple sources to eliminate a whole lot of conditioning.

[SAUTO]

i cant carry my gun even with a concealed carry permit. is that racist?

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

i cant carry my gun even with a concealed carry permit. is that racist?

depends, is it black?

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

depends, is it black?

my point here is if the rules are applied to everyone then what is the problem? and i want to say again i probably have more black friends than most on this site. i grew up in the ghetto .

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

I don't think being optimistic about mankind's potential is equal to false equivocating. Maybe they're not going to be Rhodes Scholars. But this isn't rocket science we're discussing here. It's basic human rights, and I believe it's just going to take a shit ton of repetition from multiple sources to eliminate a whole lot of conditioning.

I have many responses, each of which would be incredibly inflammatory to religious people, so I will refrain. I will say though that it was merely the we're-all-idiots thing that I was calling false equivocation, not any other point you made.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

What if Tat Boy was a world class candidate with a huge upside? You just did your company a disservice didnt you?

He said all other things being equal.