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Jazzy Jeff shut down for playing hip hop
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 9 June 2009
Jazzy Jeff had a DJ set cut short at a Bacardi B-Live show at the KC Live venue in Kansas City on Saturday, apparently because he was playing hip hop and R&B records, which we don’t need round here thank you very much. According to reports, this is the latest incident of alleged racism against black artists in the Power & Light District, the area which contains most of the city’s bars and venues, including KC Live.
Jeff explained via Twitter: “My road manager walked up to me and said they were having problems with the music I was playing. I played three more songs and he comes back. I knew something was wrong. They said I had to kick Skillz [who was MCing] 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 off stage. So I stopped”.
He continued: “They said they didn’t like Skillz’ posture. They said he made gang-like signs and grabbed at his genitals. I was playing Rihanna, she is Top 40. 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… I didn’t understand what element they were talking about. I looked out in the crowd and it was multicultural, but about 75% 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 [Biz Markie’s] ‘Just a Friend’. Is that offensive? What element? It’s uncomfortable when you feel unwanted”.
However, Power & Light District President Joe Stephens denied the DJ’s account of events, saying that he had simply been asked to turn the volume down, and that the incident had nothing to do with the kind of music being played.
He told the Kansas City Star: “The issue that arose with the performance last night was completely about the sound levels. 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… 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”.
Last year, Power & Light District was accused of discrimination for adopting a dress code which banned clothes synonymous with hip hop, such as baggy trousers and oversized jewellery, although the city council subsequently passed new rules in April to address some of these issues.
