While the Fresh Prince is busy making millions in movies, DJ Jazzy Jeff is busy...

[Brian Damage]

...getting kicked out of Kansas City's entertainment district!!!


Another day, another racial controversy at the Power & Light District.

For a year, the black community has been up in arms about perceived racism at the entertainment district, a place their tax money helped fund. But it’s always refuted. Every one is welcome at the P&L, the 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 his set was being packed up and he was walking off the stage. He had performed less than 30 minutes.

In his wake, 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 saw Jazzy Jeff and his crew power-walking out of the venue. My stomach dropped. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I knew it was bad.

A conversation I had with him early Sunday confirmed it.

I grew up listening to this man’s music. 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. He is more than the menace on “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

Jeff Townes, his given name, is legendary. He introduced "transforming," the scratching technique turntablists use that cuts up forward and backward scratches with the crossfader.

This man has toured around the world for 25 years. He’s a critically acclaimed producer: He has worked with musical stars such as Jill Scott and Michael Jackson.

He has been around the block and has millions of fans.

So what happened to make a legend walk off a stage in downtown Kansas City?

According to his Tweets (twitter.com/djjazzyjeff215), he was kicked off stage for playing hip-hop.

Jon Stephens, director of marketing for 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," Stephens said. "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."

Just hours after he returned to his Philadelphia home, I spoke to Jazzy Jeff on the phone to hear his side. He says it was about what he was spinning, not the levels.

His set started with sounds of hip-hop and pop favorites -- Jay-Z, Biz Markie, Rihanna. His MC, Skillz, a celebrated rapper and ghostwriter, hyped up the crowd. They were off to a good start.

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 off stage. 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, he said. Of all his travels around the world, he had never played Kansas City. So when the Bacardi B-Live Tour was stopping here, he thought, cool. When they arrived early on Saturday, they loved the vibe of the district, the restaurants, the people, the decked-out movie theater. Jeff says he just knew the party would be great.

http://www.kansascity.com/700/story/1238519.html

[catlover79]

OUCH.

[eltonfan80]

damm