Ja-Rule’s Performance Sparks Controversy

An apology was issued as a result of controversy surrounding Ja-Rule‘s performance at 98PXY’s Summer Jam concert last week in Rochester, New York. According to reports, complaints about loudness and the obscene language used during the Ja-Rule’s performance flooded Supervisor Ralph Esposito’s office the next morning. The official sponsors of the concert, the Rochester Broadway […]

An apology was issued as a result of controversy

surrounding Ja-Rule‘s performance at 98PXY’s

Summer Jam concert last week in Rochester, New York. According to reports, complaints

about loudness and the obscene language used during the Ja-Rule’s performance

flooded Supervisor Ralph Esposito’s office the next morning.

The official sponsors of the concert, the Rochester

Broadway Theater issued an apology for the obscene language that Ja-Rule used.

"We weren’t expecting the profanity and I didn’t think the language was

acceptable either, but we can’t overlook the fact the 12,000 kids were singing

those same vulgar words right along with the artist," John Parkhurst, Chief

Operations Officer of the league told local newspaper the Gates Post.

Other performers, such as O-Town, Aaron Carter,

Soluna and Shaggy performed at Rochester Technology Park last week. According

to reports, when Ja-Rule took the stage, calls from 911 started coming in. "People

had legitimate complaints. It was way too loud over there," Esposito said.

While Parkhurst acknowledged he was shocked at

the profanity by Ja-Rule and concert goers, he and Esposito disagreed on the

volume of the music. Parkhurst said that the volume of the concert remained

level the entire evening. "During the last act, the crowd started singing

along with the artist which probably made it seem louder," he said. "The

crowd had a lot to do with it."

"The language was terrible," Gates

Police Chief Thomas Roche added. "There were a lot of kids there and the

people in the surrounding neighborhoods didn’t want to hear it either."

The problems at the event may have ruined it

for other concerts in the future. "I can say the next time an application

like this comes to the Town Board, we will be extremely careful when reviewing

it," he said. "We want to make sure a problem like this doesn’t happen

again," Esposito said.