Here we go again.
Ok, Hip-Hop 101 for a minute. A long time ago, most people hated Hip-Hop, especially stuffy white people. However, as Hip-Hop got more vocal, a lot of rappers were like freedom fighters and voices for the voiceless. You had Ice Cube, Tupac, Public Enemy and of course Ice-T. All of these acts had commentary on police brutality and injustice. Almost all of them paid a price in some way or another. some lost deals. Some were under attack in the media and depending on who you ask, assassinated.
The killing of 5 police officers in Dallas was a tragedy, no doubt. So, were murders of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling and many others at the hands of police. But, what does rap gotta do with this? Here is a rumor we heard:
07/16 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Pavilion
07/17 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheater
The word on the street is these two dates on the Art of Rap festival tour, by Ice-T and Mick Benson….HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE SHOOTING. We are waiting for a confirmation, but we are almost 100% Dallas is a wrap. We’ll have to find out about Austin. The reason? It seems that a picture of Professor Griff of Public Enemy and the presumed shooter Micah Johnson has gotten people upset. A picture. They have openly slandered Griff over this. And, it seems like the blowback is heavy to the point where they have been forced to cancel dates. I feel for you guys in Texas on many levels.
https://twitter.com/GRIFFTHENME/status/751503674795491328/
At any rate, here are the rest of the dates for the Art of Rap Festival:
The Art of Rap Lineup 2016
Ice-T
Public Enemy
Naughty by Nature
Mobb Deep
Sugarhill Gang
EPMD
Kurtis Blow
MC Lyte
Grandmaster Melle Mel &
Scorpio
(*Lineup will vary by date)
The Art of Rap Festival 2016 Tour Dates
07/16 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Pavilion
07/17 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheater
07/22 – Hollywood, CA @ Palladium
07/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Downtown Las Vegas
07/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island Amphitheater
07/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
08/05 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/6 – Detroit, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphitheatre