http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-story-hiphop-concert-pandl-060709,0,4820974.story
KANSAS CITY, MO - Kansas City concertgoers were left angry and confused after a performance by hip-hop star DJ Jazzy Jeff at the Power and Light District was cut short on Saturday night.
According to attendees, the show abruptly ended after about 30 minutes due to what officials said was an unwillingness by the performer to turn down the volume.
DJ Jazzy Jeff. a.k.a. Jeff Townes, rose to stardom in the late 1980's with The Fresh Prince, a.k.a. rapper-turned-movie star Will Smith.
According to Power and Light president Jon Stephens, the performer and his crew were repeatedly asked to turn down the volume or risk damaging the venue's expensive sound system. DJ Jazzy Jeff then refused to return to the stage, and left the packed venue.
Police said that there were no reports of problems with the audience after the show abruptly ended.
Members of the local hip-hop community lit up Twitter and local blogs after the show, claiming that race was the primary reason the show got shut down, an allegation that Stephens vehemently denies.
"The Power & White District & The Cordish Co. do not want black people in their establishments," wrote Damon Smith on the blog ThisMayConcernYou.com. "The companies do not want hip hop music - an original and popular form of American entertainment - to be played in KC Live."
Smith also noted that the district included "a dueling piano bar, an Italian wine lounge, two Irish pubs, an upscale bowling alley, a posh Las Vegas-wannabe techno lounge, a place called Rock Bar and a Mexican cantina among other things," but no hip-hop venue.
The Power and Light District had previously stirred controversy over it's dress code policy that some people felt was aimed primarily at the African-American community.
On his Twitter page, DJ Jazzy Jeff wrote "HOW DID THEY KICK ME OFF STAGE IN KANSAS CITY FOR PLAYIN HIP HOP...I'M A 25YR LEGEND...THIS IS SOME BULL****."
KANSAS CITY, MO - Kansas City concertgoers were left angry and confused after a performance by hip-hop star DJ Jazzy Jeff at the Power and Light District was cut short on Saturday night.
According to attendees, the show abruptly ended after about 30 minutes due to what officials said was an unwillingness by the performer to turn down the volume.
DJ Jazzy Jeff. a.k.a. Jeff Townes, rose to stardom in the late 1980's with The Fresh Prince, a.k.a. rapper-turned-movie star Will Smith.
According to Power and Light president Jon Stephens, the performer and his crew were repeatedly asked to turn down the volume or risk damaging the venue's expensive sound system. DJ Jazzy Jeff then refused to return to the stage, and left the packed venue.
Police said that there were no reports of problems with the audience after the show abruptly ended.
Members of the local hip-hop community lit up Twitter and local blogs after the show, claiming that race was the primary reason the show got shut down, an allegation that Stephens vehemently denies.
"The Power & White District & The Cordish Co. do not want black people in their establishments," wrote Damon Smith on the blog ThisMayConcernYou.com. "The companies do not want hip hop music - an original and popular form of American entertainment - to be played in KC Live."
Smith also noted that the district included "a dueling piano bar, an Italian wine lounge, two Irish pubs, an upscale bowling alley, a posh Las Vegas-wannabe techno lounge, a place called Rock Bar and a Mexican cantina among other things," but no hip-hop venue.
The Power and Light District had previously stirred controversy over it's dress code policy that some people felt was aimed primarily at the African-American community.
On his Twitter page, DJ Jazzy Jeff wrote "HOW DID THEY KICK ME OFF STAGE IN KANSAS CITY FOR PLAYIN HIP HOP...I'M A 25YR LEGEND...THIS IS SOME BULL****."