Hip Hop = Danger! SO SAYS THE SHERIFF

Recently, the Sheriff of Las Vegas sent a request to the casinos and concert venues in the valley suggesting that they not book hip hop acts anymore. His reasoning was simple: He's the one who has to clean up the mess after these shows break out into violence. I'm not saying that all hip hop fans are prone to violence, it's just a hazard when that's the attitude pouring off the stage.

You don't hear mainstream rock bands talking about the stuff that these hip hop guys are pushing (Gang membership/Guns/Hookers/Bling/Violence), and keep in mind I said MAINSTREAM. You see the difference between the rock world and the hip hop world is that little bit of bending into the man, not throwing all of the questionable content onto the airwaves and letting the listeners sort out what they want to hear and what they don't. For this, I applaud the Hip Hop community, Embrace your 'ART' and own it, however, in owning it you must be willing to face the consequences.

So I'd like to challenge anyone in the Hip Hop community to this: Look around Vegas, see if there are other venues that feature music with this sort of violent energy, There may be a lot of Metal bands in Vegas (most of our original scene is Heavy Rock), but listen to what they are saying, it's not all 'Kill you Mom and Eat your Dog' music. And the shows don't end up with riots, either. Find me a rock musician or band who has been shot in the studio (there have been a number of murders in Vegas at Hip Hop studios), we tend to take matters into our own hands the same as the Hip Hop guys, only we approach conflict resolution from a professional standpoint. If person A has offended me or my Homies and it is affecting my business, I will resolve the issue with Person A, not shoot Him/Her.

I'd like to add a note about society (how I see it from my part of the world)... If you are sitting in your car with the music blaring and your two year old is in the back seat as you sing along, complete with all of the "M-F'ers" and other bad language, don't be surprised that your son is going to turn out to be a hoodlum. There are 4 and 5 year old kids spouting off words and phrases that I didn't know until I was easily into my preteen years, and they had to have picked it up from somewhere (even if it was not their parents, some other kids may have heard the words from THERE parents....)

So hold your rally (a grand total of about 50 people attended), but step back and look at the business you are in and the history of violence that has come with it and then tell me it is wrong to suggest that the valley would be better off without these shows. If these shows continue or are brought back to Fort Cheyenne casino (three blocks from my apartment) will there be fights and shootings like the last time? And the time before that, and the time before that........ And show me a Rock or Pop or Blues orJazz or Country musician who has shot a cop dead recently...

Anywho, I just think it's a little nuts for these folks to complain because you have to change your industry, your business, in order to earn society's respect and trust again. We didn't stop you from getting booked, you and yours did, nuff said.