Jazzy Jeff Booted from Kansas City Club for Playing Hip-Hop [Updated]
Update: Z-Trip offers a more extensive account of the night-
On Saturday, June 6th, DJ Z-Trip performed at the Power & Light District in Kansas City, followed by DJ Jazzy Jeff, then MSTRKRFT. That evening, Jeff's set was unexpectedly cut short by the venue. While speculation continues as to the reasoning behind this action, Z-Trip was present at the time of the debated incident.While soundchecking, Z-Trip was asked by certain venue employees to "not play any rap music." As one of the founders of the mash-up movement, hip-hop is heavily prevalent in Z's repertoire. He proceeded with his set as planned, playing ODB and Pharoahe Monch.
Z-Trip watched Jazzy Jeff go on immediately following, joined by his MC, Skillz, playing a set full of Top 40 Hip-hop which included Jay-Z, Rihanna, Neyo, and TI. Mid set, Z-Trip, while standing on stage, witnessed Jeff's tour manager relay the complaints the venue had about the music he was playing. "I was really surprised the venue were upset by Jeff's set. This is Jazzy Jeff we're talking about, the guy who won the first Rap Grammy," offers Z-Trip.
"The entire venue watched Jeff leave the stage early. Once back stage, he was informed that lewd conduct by Skillz was the reason for his set being cut short. Soon after, a different reason was offered: Jeff was pushing the mix too far for their $50k audio system to handle.
"They had a team of sound engineers in front of the stage who controlled the master volume of the whole venue," says Z-Trip. "No matter how loud a DJ plays, the person in front of the stage controls the show. So how can you blame it on sound levels - especially since this was the third explanation given."
Update: DJ Z-Trip -- who performed before Jazzy Jeff in KC -- was told not to play hip-hop. His manager tell us: "ZTRIP was told not to play rap at soundcheck. he did anyway. his set was b4 Jeff. no issues."
There's been a lot of fury riled up in the past 24 hours since Jazzy Jeff posted on his Twitter: "HOW DID THEY KICK ME OFF STAGE IN KANSAS CITY FOR PLAYIN HIP HOP...I'M A 25YR LEGEND...THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT."
The event, part of the national Bacardi B-Live tour, took place at The Kansas City Power & Light District, a public-private entertainment venture supported in part by tax dollars, with a history of racial controversy, including dress code issues. It makes you wonder what the heck is going on in KC.
Jeff later talked to the Kansas City Star to give a more thorough version of the story, claiming: "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 [touring rapper] 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."
The venue, of course, tells a completely different story, claiming the show was shut off due to sound levels and Jeff's management refusing to turn it down.
As anyone who has ever worked at a club can tell you, things get pretty confusing when stuff like this goes down in a loud venue where folks have been drinking. A game of telephone can easily commence between the management of a venue, the management of the artist and the final message that gets to the DJ. So it's probably safe to assume the truth falls somewhere in the middle. But regardless of what precisely occurred on this particular night, this story is a good reminder of the sort of conflicts that still arise between private sector business interest, public funding, the arts, race and a whole slew of other factors. We must remain diligent without becoming hysterical.
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I have not been to the "White Power & Light" district, other than to walk around & see how lamely corporate it is. As someone who spent A LOT of my younger years skating around downtown & hitting up places like the Rhumba Box it breaks my heart to see this crap as the focal point for the rebirth of downtown. Stories like this keep coming.
We have Cordish Co in Louisville with the same discriminatory dress code. Plain white T shirts, backwards hats, and excessive jewelry are forbidden on the public street in front of the venue. White girls tout gstrings hanging out of their pants which is OK, but black dudes with boxers are a violation.
The public street is paid for with tax dollars (oh wait the big loans the city has given them means that the whole THING was paid for with tax dollars) and discrimination on public lands is prohibited.
Even worse, the "4th Street Live!" venue sits on one of our city's worst wounds of legal discrimination on our history. And, instead of respecting that history and working to include all cultures, the Cordish Co has continued blatant discriminatory acts while keeping a hand in our city's cookie jar.
It was an embarrassment to tell my cousin from LA that, in order to go to Hard Rock Cafe, he had to follow a such and so dress code. "4th Street Live!" does not and WILL NOT get any of my money, oh no wait! they do because my tax dollars pay for that discrimination.
Frankly, I myself would boot anyone who describes himself as a "25 YR LEGEND". People that presumptuous rarely live up to their own hype. I notice Will Smith got rid of him some time ago.
Yea, the KC Power & Light District is no stranger to controversy. It's all controlled by an out-of-town corporation whose sole responsibility is profit. Nothing like $7 beers and overpriced underwhelming food. The Cordish corporation is managing other cities new downtown entertainment districts, of which the taxpayers foot the bill to demolish old buildings, build the new ones, then this company gets tax abatements (TIF) and takes money off the top.
They game the laws and zoning to make sure they have little competition. They've been fighting other older established entertainment districts like Westport to keep them from passing open container laws and other perks that could allow them to win back some of the bizness stolen from them from the P&L district, subsidized by the taxpayers.
I think most people with common sense and value their money stay away from there.
I was at P&L that night for the show and most people didn't even really notice what was happening when he left the stage, so it was odd to read about in yesterday's paper as if it had been a huge controversy. To almost everyone there it was pretty much a nonissue.
There are those of us in KC who refer to it as "The Power and White District" for a reason (and I'm a white boy). It's intended to cater to trendoid white folk with a lot of money to chase their trends. Likely the venue owners were clueless as to who Jeff is when booking the tour.
As for wondering what's going on in KC? It's just a cowtown--expect nothing different.
What the heck is up with KC? I didn't even know MSTRKRFT was playing. P&L definitely has some issues to work out.
it was recently reported that an AC/DC show was heard from about 9 miles away.
what does that have to do with this story?
absolutely nothing, but it's pretty awesome.
None of this surprises me. My college years at Kent State were exactly like the movie "Higher Learning". The black students feel marginalized, ignored and isolated so they stick together. Whenever they have a party with hip-hop music, here come the cops complaining about the "noise" while Radiohead can be heard from a distance on Frat Row.
A hip-hop "ban" means one thing and one thing only: Black people no can has party. I spent all my college party time in Akron, 15 mins away instead of Kent. I'm sure that hip-hop ban has lifted by now since that was about 9 years ago. Now I hear the white kids are pushing back on the meddling local cops. Good for them.
Is this post a joke? The line-up of artists also contained Q-Tip and Santigold, If the club was trying to not have black artists perform they did a lousy job of it by booking that tour. They didn't tell him no hip hop. They said "No Rap" and specifically, not the rapper that he had on stage with him. Rap is old news, it would be like one of the other DJ's getting up on stage and playing disco. Trust, me, white or black if somebody started playing Olivia Newton John and KC and the Sunshine Band up there they would have booted them just as fast.
Not true, They would have been fine with disco. They are scared of modern black people. isnt that always the case?
regarding the other performers, this stop was only Jazzy jeff / z-trip / and mstrkrft FYI
He was not booted from a club, he was booted off a stage in the districts courtyard.
There is no "Kansas City Times", it is the "Kansas City Star".
See Joshua Glazer's Profile
You right, i mistyped the KC Times. And yes, you're also right that he wasn't removed from the premises, but that is hardly the point.
the headline clearly says "booted from kansas city club". the headline is inflamatory, the minutiae incorrect, and people are playing telephone in a venue with loud music and drinking. What is the point?
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