Las Vegas Might Ban Rap Shows
 

I've known about this for about a year now, but it might actually happen. They're trying to ban "gangsta rap". But lot's of rappers will be confused into the "gangsta rap" category so the clubs won't even touch a rap show if this happens.

Here's the article:





February 09, 2006

Editorial: Jeff German on Sheriff Young's call to casinos and nightclubs to ban gangster rap shows which, he says, breed an atmosphere of violence
Sheriff Bill Young is turning up the heat on gangster rap acts in Las Vegas.

Days after one of his veteran officers, Sgt. Henry Prendes, was gunned down by a budding rapper, Young said that he doesn't believe casinos should be booking these kinds of groups because of the violence they breed.

Young's message persuaded state gaming regulators this week to formally warn casinos that they will be held accountable if acts of violence occur at any gangster rap performances.

"The entertainment industry," the sheriff said, "should be ashamed of itself for promoting this gangster rap genre that espouses violence, mistreatment of women, hatred for the authority of police officers and emulates drug dealers and two-bit thugs.

"It's not a good message for our young people, and it's not a good message for our community."

That applies, Young said, across the entire spectrum of rap music, including mainstream performers such as 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.

"50 Cent is one of the worst," Young said. "His whole act is predicated on violence. He's a mentor for all of the other gangster rappers in the making."

Las Vegas has been the site of several rapper killings over the last decade, starting with the unsolved shooting death of Tupac Shakur in 1996. In the past five years, 80 to 100 recording studios specializing in gangster rap music have sprung up here, police said.

Young began voicing concerns within law enforcement circles about the violence associated with gangster rappers last year following the slaying in Las Vegas of Kansas City rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins and a friend of his.

A week after the May 23 killings, a local rapper, Roosevelt "Mr. Looks" Hines, was shot to death outside a recording studio.

In a June 22 letter to Keith Copher, then chief of enforcement for the Gaming Control Board, Young said he felt it was time to encourage the casino industry to shy away from bringing in gangster rap acts.

He described the effort as a "legitimate crime prevention strategy" that could curtail a growing list of violent acts related to these groups.

"A shooting at a venue that generates a lot of negative press towards our tourism corridor would seem not worth having these acts here," Young told Copher.

Young provided Copher with a secret intelligence bulletin on rapper-related violence across the country that his Gang Crimes Bureau put together. The report included incidents at casino nightclubs in Las Vegas since 2003.

"It hasn't been a widespread problem in the casinos, but it has been enough to concern us," said Capt. Al Salinas, who runs the Gang Crimes Bureau. "We want to create an environment where tourists can enjoy themselves and not have to be afraid."

Salinas said officers were called to a disturbance at the Palms in June 2003 during a concert by rapper Jay-Z.

In 2004, he said, officers had to respond to a series of altercations at the OPM nightclub at the Forum Shops at Caesars involving performances by gangster rappers.

And last May, police investigated a couple of shootings following a Nelly concer at the Aladdin, Salinas said.

The Control Board, meanwhile, used Young's 2005 letter to launch its own inquiry into reports that it had been receiving of violence, drug use and excessive drinking at nightclubs, some of which are owned and operated independently of the casinos.

This week, after months of meeting individually with executives at 24 dance clubs and ultra-lounges at 15 different casinos, the three-member board sent out a memorandum putting the entire industry on notice to clean up its act.

In the memorandum, the board made reference to Young's worries about the "booking of certain types of entertainment into licensed properties."

"Specifically, there have been numerous incidents of violence before, during and after several gangster rap concerts, not just in Las Vegas, but nationally, as well," the memo said.

"The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department considers these events as serious threats to the community."

The memo informed the casinos and the clubs that they need to exercise "due diligence" when bringing in entertainment.

The board, the memo said, will "hold the licensee accountable for incidents occurring as a result of entertainment the licensee knew or should have known would likely cause such incidents."

Jerry Markling, the board's new chief of enforcement, who oversaw the inquiry, described it as a "proactive" effort.

"Our main concern is for the safety of the patrons in the casinos and the clubs," he said. "We want to make sure the casinos are taking the appropriate action."

Hard Rock Hotel President Kevin Kelley - who occasionally has brought in well-known rappers, such as Snoop Dogg, for private parties - said he understands why the Control Board put out the memo.

"The board has a right to be concerned," he said. "It wants to make sure that when patrons come to a licensed establishment there is a certain level of safety and security. That makes sense.

"But my biggest concern is how far will the board take it? I don't think the board should be the moral arbiter and the entertainment director of the gaming industry. It needs to leave that onus on the casinos."

Palms owner George Maloof, who also has booked Snoop Dogg and lesser-known rappers periodically at his casino, said he has been proactive when it comes to security at his clubs, to the point of hiring off-duty Metro Police officers as bouncers.

"If the board is concerned about this, then we're concerned about it," Maloof said.

So far, however, the board's edict isn't going over well with some associated with rap music.

"It's ridiculous," said Morey Alexander, a longtime music promoter and record executive who specializes in rap music these days. "They're artists. They should have the right to play here."

Alexander, who moved his business, Kent Entertainment Group, here from Los Angeles a year ago, acknowledges that there are "thugs" among gangster rappers.

"But there are thugs in every business," he added. "There are thugs in government."

Alexander said there are far more good rappers than bad ones and the best way to avoid violence is better police work and security screening at concerts.

Mike Pizzo, who runs HipHopSite, a local business that sells rap CDs and paraphernalia at 4700 S. Maryland Parkway, said he has not noticed a big problem with gangster rappers here.

"I don't think they need to stick a task force on it," he said. "Any artist who's going to bring a bunch of troublemakers is not going to be booked at a casino. Financially, it's not worth it to the casinos."

Pizzo said gangster rap is not as popular on the street as it used to be and that some of its biggest stars have turned into pop icons.

"People are getting bored with it," Pizzo said. "Anybody can do it. There are far more interesting artists out there like Kanye West, who are positive and more musically talented."

But that's of little consolation to Young, whose department is still mourning the loss of one of its finest at the hands of a rapper.

"Some might view these gangster rap artists as entertainers disguised as criminals," Young said. "But I see them as criminals disguised as entertainers."

Jeff German's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Sun. Reach him at 259-4067 or [email protected].

clifnotes?

They were in the title "Las Vegas Might Ban Rap Shows"

Exactly.

So I posted the article incase people like to read what's going on exactly.

Snoop's name is mentioned a lot in this article.

Well, IF I consider doing more Players Balls in Vegas, I might have to look at other options then rappers for talent. Which I always do, but rappers are easier to book then any other artists.

sounds ok to me... I wish MTV and all the radio stations would ban that bullshit also

And if you do that, I may actually come to a Player's Ball.

Why are rappers are easier to book ?Is because there is less equipment then say a rock band? Im curious,I figured it would all be the same.

I concur :thumbsup

Usually with rap acts you're dealing with 1 artist. With a band, you're dealing with at least 3 to 5 band members that need to clear their schedules. That's way they do tours, they set aside those dates because they know they will all be available. I do a private show, not based around their tour dates. So I pay a premium to any artist since it's not a routed gig. Takes a little more money to get them to do an off tour date, regardless of who the artists are, whether it's a rock band or rapper.

So rappers happen to be easier to book because it's 1 person that decides if they want to take that date, not a band of people. And the equipment is usually easier too and most of the time cheaper for the sound requirements. Though to be honest when you book bigger rap acts, I pay just as much as if it were a band since they require some serious equipment when dealing with artists that normally perform at arena's and not small ballrooms. They can't understand that they are being pulled into a small room for only 1000 people since they perform such big venues normally. Most of the time, my sound system would be fine for a 20,000 people plus arena.

I hope that answers your question.

:thumbsup

Good. It sucks, yo.

Wayne Newton for next year :thumbsup

I don't agree with this. Some people like rap music. I don't think that rap music is dangerous because it has explicit lyrics. It is just music,entertainment:warning

Remember the poll you did a while back where you asked who people would prefer and named a couple rock acts and a couple rap acts...more Webmasters would rather see rock but you already knew that

Glad I was able to see Ice Cube in what might have been his last performance in Vegas...

I think that most peple who have attended my events, the ones who usually don't like rap tell me that they've enjoyed our performances. I get great artists that have a mass appeal. I don't just pick our artists because they are rappers and their price fits my budget. I pick them based on who will rock the crowd. Snoop, Cube, Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Digital Underground, Too Short and many others have won over our rock oriented crowd.

I usually explain to our artists that our crowd didn't come for them, they came in town to do business and we bring them artists. And I'm always amazed that our rap acts win over a rock dominated crowd. Considering that most of the crowd would normally want a rock act, you have to admit, our Players Ball artists win over the webmasters who open their minds and actually go to one.

OK all you haterade drinking mutha fucka's, hate on that!

I have years of footage, the cameras don't lie folks.

:pimp

That's fine by me. I LOVE Wayne Newton :thumbsup

thats pretty shitty..

side note, cool that hiphopsite is still running

Even if I dont like rap, banning music is kind of hitlerish.

this is a good thing..

I am probably the biggest NON rap fan - I hate the crap and what it stands for. But c'mon banning shit???? - censorship keeps getting worse and worse. It seems governments are just content with bandaid fixes as usual.

Who is hating on you or the Players Ball?

I stated a fact by pointing out the results of YOUR poll and others expressed their opinions about rap.

Haha...my thoughts exactly :) I got about halfway through and then gave up :)

this made the casinos listen.....

I was just poking some fun, I'm agreeing with you that our crowd wants rock.

And I didn't mean that you were one of the ones drinking haterade. I know you love the Players Ball, even when it's rap.

And you're a certified Players Card holder.

I agree with you one hundred percent! I do actually like rap (at least for dancing :) )...but I wouldn't want anyone banning techno (which I can't stand). To each his own. As far as curbing the violence goes, it seems like they're just trying to compensate for the fact that they can't properly police their own city. Just my thought.

"Young's message persuaded state gaming regulators this week to formally warn casinos that they will be held accountable if acts of violence occur at any gangster rap performances."

But if some red neck pulls out a knife or a gun during a rock or country show, don't worry about it.

Seems like a racial thing to me. If a venue doesn't have the proper security to screen out weapons or stop a fight, they shouldn't be operating.

Exactly.

And for the record, most of the drugs that clubbers are dying from is E, and that happens mostly during techno/rave music venues. So one could make an ever stronger case to ban that before rap.

Thanks man, thats interesting the way it works.

oops my bad :Oh crap

So anyway about Wayne Newton..he's local..he's hot...not much equipment to set up...I'm sure Juicy has pics of him on his bedroom ceiling....an ideal choice :2 cents:

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:1orglaugh

I can't stand that gansta rap crap..hope they do set a precedence

"gangsta" rap is stupid... censorship is MORE stupid. the acts D has picked for his joints have been excellent choices imo... it would suck if u couldn't feature hip hop at the player's ball.... face it, it wouldn't be a player's ball if u played rock. sorry, rock just doesn't equal "player" lol

Rap sucks

whether you like it or not, if you agree about 'banning' it youre a fucking retard.

gangsta rap is my favourite music genre and you dont see me gangbangin on the streets... im a fucking webaster for christ sake

And btw... isnt this gangsta rap discussion about 15 years old? I remember seeing protests of soul seeking politicians for easy votes on some 2pac documentary in LA the early 90's

Well D-

You know we have been talking about doing rock for a while now-

Let's mention again who thought would be great affordable acts....

Cheap Trick- Classic Rock and really a great show

NIN- We'll have chicks there for sure

FOO FIGHTERS- Dave Grohl rocks

MANSON- Fraky S&M theme can apply

Camp Freddy- Members of Janes Addiction, Cult, and various other celebs guests

Joe Walsh- Rocky Mountain Way is the best R&R song of all time according to Rolling Stone

Everclear- lot's of songs kind of wimpy

Damian Jr. Gong Marley- I love him

So here is the question- since D$ and I have promoted a lot of shows and we have eclectic tastes in music......
We kow about a lot of extreme acts and fun stuff from years ago in Cleveland doing shows.
GWAR, Los Straitjackets, Dick Dale, BB King

who do you think would get the show rocking?

Incubus?

Linkin Park?

All these can be done- but which one would really get a LOT of chicks to show up?

And who'd dig the "adult" nature of the event.

PS Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone also expressed a lot of interest and want to do something with us soon- they are my homies.

They are a riot.



We can't do John Mayer or Keith Urban either so don't even think about it....

I love Rap, Hip Hop all that good shit. Thats a bummer. There are valid points but it's ridiculous to ban it.

Gangsta rap is going to get to the point where that shit's gonna start being silly - if we haven't already reached that stage. Its already played out, everybody and their mother thinks they're a thugged out killer, because thats the only shit that sells. I dont know if rap is dead yet but I'm sure it's been on its deathbed for years.

players ball as we know it will be over.

This article is almost a year old now (Feb 9, 2006), and Las Vegas has a new sheriff, Doug Gillespie

wow hmm interesting information

you know, as much as this sucks, it isn't the first time it happened...there was a law in Kentucky a while back that made all of us dj's held liable if we played certain songs, like three six mafia - tear the club up, because every time the song was played it instantly broke out in violence and trashing the clubs

it was crazy, but totally understandable

the issue I have with this is pretty much along the same lines as parents who blame us for their kids watching porn....rap is there for entertainment, and I think it is in the hands of clubs owners to have harsher penalties for acts of violence that happen in their clubs, but we don't need a law for this, we just need club owners to be held liable for not providing the full amount of security needed for such a "hostile" environment

no more rap in vegas? Can i sign my city up for that also?

yea their going to ban huge crowds of 21-29 year olds with pockets full of $.....this is just hype...is his re-election coming up soon?

fuck it...worse comes to worse, you call up Richie for the next players ball

Kid Rock raps/rocks about everything we love & stand for...he lives the life too, he gets arrested once a year at a strip club....& no ones going to cry well.... because he's a white boy (and a pimp :pimp )

btw....awesome time in vegas brother, true pimpin :thumbsup

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"Start an escort service, for all the right reasons, then setup shop at the top of 4 seasons"

Eazy E - Neighbourhood Sniper

[Eazy E]
First up high on a roof top
like a bird I'm havin' evil thoughts
a black hood covers my face
and death flows through my mind at it's own pace
sometimes I feel like a super hero
urgin' to free my kind
I'm so accurate
I shoot ya heart with a dime
now I'm back to the moral of my tale
I see a victim and then my thoughts fail
my minds still fumblin' with the present slavery
I'm here to save you but who's to save me
I hold my strap so long that my palms all wet
I put finger on the fit and then the side a check
I make the kill here's the deal
after the trigger's pulled then the death is sealed
so it's the shots that sing out like a piper
everyones scared I'm the neighborhood sniper

[Chorus]

[Eazy-E]
So my boy is a snitch
I put my gun up to his head
and simply scared the bitch boo
being the E ya know I'm thinkin' devious thoughts
take off ya clothes nigga and here comes a plot
his bitch was scared she made a move I pulled the trigger
now the rumors rare
now there's nothing left but a snitch
here's a four leaf clover punk make a wish
one [*Shot*] two [*Shot*] three strikes your out
this nigga is dead and now I'm lookin' for a window
I made my escape the cops chase
duckin' to an alley so they don't recognize my face
the boy had to pay the piper
so they all stayin' fair of a neighborhood sniper

[Chorus]

[Eazy-E]
I'm Doin' dirt as I continue my mission
killin' all fools as an addiction
as a E lovin' the game leavin a shame
and in my heart I feel no muthafuckin' pain
because my heart is cold as I was told
and my A.K.47 I stand bold
rippin' up shit with the fury of my gun shot
pop pop pow as I watch the muthafucka drop
lovin' the site as the blood spill
take a photograph, to keep in my hard as I was sayin' calm
and never hyper as I succeed in my mission
I be a neighborhood sniper

[Chorus]

the government doesn't have shit to do with this. its some derelict asshole whos buddy got shot by a rapper. now hes back for revenge against anything that involves rap. its ridiculous and that fucking jew cop should be shot too. :2 cents:

Gangsta rap is a waste. Vegas and the rest of the world would be better off without it... and take bubblegum pop along with it.

Good News this shit have to stop!

Guns don't kill people, rappers do.

We should totally get rid of hollywood too, and TV, for promoting violence. If I saw Al Pacino, I would fucking punch him in the face and run.. I mean it's just not right what he did to those people in Scarface. I'm not smart enough to tell him apart from the characters he plays in movies, and I shouldn't BE EXPECTED TO.