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.”

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

something about a goose and a gander.....i forget how it goes

Doesn't surprise me.

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Micjones

Are you kidding?
Hell yes! I know DJ's who play nothing but House or Funk or Soul records.
To think that all DJ's are purveyors of Hip Hop is ridiculous.

My point is, and one that you're ignoring, that whomever hired a DJ to play there would have a reasonable expectation the DJ would be playing hip-hop, In fact, the odds are heavily in favor of it. If I randomly picked 1,000 DJs 900 of them would play at least some hip-hop.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by blaise

The implication here being any white dude that posted in this thread is racist. For someone that calls himself a writer you're typing some incredibly hack garbage.
It's funny how we talk a lot in this country about needing dialogue on race; then in a thread like this there's actually people that have discussed a racial situation, but someone like you comes along, under the guise of open-mindedness, and basically tries to halt the debate by implying that the white people here are one and the same and racist.
Yes there have been some idiots here, but your sweeping generalization does nothing to add value.

Value lol.

There is no debate here. (And you're not the poster that I want to be having this argument with because you, Kyle DeLexus and a tiny handful of others have been fair-minded in this thread; you guys aren't the ones that I am condeming.) But there really hasn't been meaningful or useful debate at all. Anytime there is a good point made, its co-opted by bigoted ****s.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

No.

A goddamned message board thread is not the place to have a candid discussion about pretty much anything. No one will ever change anyone's mind. Look to the wildly successful Washington D.C./Holy Land subforum for proof.

Also, I am not an idiot.

I wonder if the human race will ever evolve to the point that the majority of it's citizens will actually look in their own mirror and try to fix themselves before trying to tell everyone else how they're supposed to live. Because honestly, that's the first step in cleansing the filth from what has turned into one great big cesspool.

And Reaper, I like you and all, but you're a ****ing idiot. It's not personal. Every single walking, talking human being roaming this planet is too. We're just monkeys with thumbs. Who wants to call me out for being a racist?

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by blaise

My point is, and one that you're ignoring, that whomever hired a DJ to play there would have a reasonable expectation the DJ would be playing hip-hop, In fact, the odds are heavily in favor of it. If I randomly picked 1,000 DJs 900 of them would play at least some hip-hop.

I'm not ignoring the point. Sure, I suppose there's some expectation that a DJ could play music from a wide variety of genres (Hip Hop included), but that's not as scientific as you're trying to make it though.

There are DJ's all across the music spectrum who play everything from Reggae, to Funk, to Electro, to House, to Techno, to Ska. There are several local DJ's in town who NEVER play Hip Hop.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Micjones

KC Live hasn't traditionally played host to much Hip Hop.
But again, don't take my word for it.

Do the research and kindly return all the names of the Hip Hop wielding DJ's who've played the venue.
Don't worry...I'll wait.

mic none of that stuff matters. they hired a dj crew, no matter what you "think" if someone didnt do their due dilligence to know what type of music was going to be played they should be fired. and to assume that when the crew was setting up the managers on site didnt realize what was coming is totally naive on your part. they still let the show begin and as to the "why" it was stopped? who knows? they have their story and the djs have theirs. no matter what you "think" you still dont know for sure.
if you do prove it.... go ahead i'll wait....

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by Micjones

KC Live hasn't traditionally played host to much Hip Hop.
But again, don't take my word for it.

Do the research and kindly return all the names of the Hip Hop wielding DJ's who've played the venue.
Don't worry...I'll wait.

if Cordish is so hell bent on not having hip-hop as you believe, why did they not seek to cancel the show beforehand?

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Micjones

KC Live hasn't traditionally played host to much Hip Hop.
But again, don't take my word for it.

Do the research and kindly return all the names of the Hip Hop wielding DJ's who've played the venue.
Don't worry...I'll wait.

Who cares about traditionally? Are you saying a person wouldn't have a reasonable expectation that a DJ they hired would play hip-hop?
So the people at KC Live are opposed to hip-hop, had they knows DJJJ was going to the be the DJ they wouldn't have allowed it because they're so opposed to hip-hop, yet these people that are so opposed to hip-hop- to the point that they'll stop a show didn't bother to check out the style of music that would be played?
Come on.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Dottefan

The Power and WHITE district is a joke..I never felt comfortable down there and never will. Its funny how Kansas city urban core tax money partially paid to build a place that the urban community is not wanted, Just so some suburban folks can feel comfy from the big bad black man and his jungle music..what a ****ing joke. The same company that built POWER AND WHITE district has already been sued behind these same issues in Kentucky and lost. If they want to build some shit like this and keep us out, at least build it in YOUR OWN ****ING COMMUNITY AND NOT IN OURS.

Racist much?

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

I wonder if the human race will ever evolve to the point that the majority of it's citizens will actually look in their own mirror and try to fix all of themselves before trying to tell everyone else how they're supposed to live. Because honestly, that's the first step in cleansing the filth from what has turned into one great big cesspool.

And Reaper, I like you and all, but you're a ****ing idiot. It's not personal. Every single walking, talking human being roaming this planet is too. We're just monkeys with thumbs. Who wants to call me out for being a racist?

Oh, I am by no means a perfect person. I have a litany of issues, hang-ups, perversions, obsessions, deficiencies and otherwise unsavory characteristics.

But idiocy is not one of them.

[blaise]

The organizers must have just gotten fantastically lucky in that no hip-hop was played before DJJJ. Imagine that, every other DJ played nothing but Nickelback, Garth Brooks, Coldplay and Britney Spears. And what's so incredible about that is the organizers were just dead-set against a DJ playing hip-hop. It was just an incredible coincidence that up until now now of the DJs booked by these hip-hop hating bigots played hip-hop. The odds are just staggering, but that's what happened I guess.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Micjones

It's ridiculous to play this game about who should and shouldn't be welcome at a development that's being subsidized by many of the baggy pants wearing folk they want to keep out.

Did the baggy pants pay the taxes or did the individual wearing the pants? Because the P&L would be happy to have the individual wearing the pants come in and spend money, he just has to leave the pants behind.

You have to play the odds. You don't invite in guys with gang colors unless you're going to exclude certain gangs. That goes for skinheads, Latinos, blacks, everyone.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

mic none of that stuff matters. they hired a dj crew, no matter what you "think" if someone didnt do their due dilligence to know what type of music was going to be played they should be fired. and to assume that when the crew was setting up the managers on site didnt realize what was coming is totally naive on your part. they still let the show begin and as to the "why" it was stopped? who knows? they have their story and the djs have theirs. no matter what you "think" you still dont know for sure.
if you do prove it.... go ahead i'll wait....

Score one for Sauto!
I'm equally as uncertain about the inner workings of how the show was booked, structured, or executed as everyone else.

No wait... I knew that Cordish hadn't personally booked the tour or any of its accompanying acts.
Something other posters in this very thread...did not.

I know the promoter who did...personally.
So...uh...scoreboard!

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Micjones

I'm not ignoring the point. Sure, I suppose there's some expectation that a DJ could play music from a wide variety of genres (Hip Hop included), but that's not as scientific as you're trying to make it though.

There are DJ's all across the music spectrum who play everything from Reggae, to Funk, to Electro, to House, to Techno, to Ska. There are several local DJ's in town who NEVER play Hip Hop.

Let's put it this way: I pick 1,000 DJs at random. From that list I pick one. Gun to your head someone asks you if that DJ plays hip-hop, what do you say? I guarantee you say yes.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

if Cordish is so hell bent on not having hip-hop as you believe, why did they not seek to cancel the show beforehand?

Can't speak to that. Might've been contractual or financial implications in play that could've complicated that process though.