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posted by takyon on Tuesday July 28 2015, @09:16AM   Printer-friendly
from the can't-touch-this dept.

At a hip-hop festival called Craze Fest in Hammond, Indiana, just outside of Chicago, rapper Chief Keef appeared on stage as a hologram. But his Saturday night performance only lasted one song before the police shut it down.

Chief Keef, born Keith Cozart, originally planned to hold a benefit concert for his friend and a toddler who were both killed during a shooting this month. The concert was to be held at a theater in Chicago, but Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's office reportedly pressured the theater to cancel the event, according to the Chicago Tribune. The New York Times says the mayor's office called Chief Keef "an unacceptable role model" whose music "promotes violence."

Instead, Chief Keef told his fans that he would perform at an undisclosed location and enlisted Hologram USA to help him appear virtually rather than physically, citing outstanding warrants for his arrest in Illinois. Fans weren't told Chief Keef would be performing in Hammond at Wolf Lake Pavilion as part of Craze Fest until 9pm that night.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Chief Keef performed his hit "I Don't Like" [remix and NSFW] from a sound studio in Beverly Hills, California. "[He] was talking about putting a stop to violence when the power was cut off. Police rushed toward the stage, turning the music off about 10:25pm. Shining flashlights, they ordered concertgoers to leave. Fans who gathered Saturday left the grounds in an orderly fashion, though disappointed."

Wanted in Illinois, appeared as a hologram in Indiana, still shut down by police. Good thing for him he was in California.

Additional material from the BBC.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @05:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @05:54PM (#214962)

    > City officials said rapper's digital appearance "posed a significant public safety risk."

    What they say and what they mean are two different things. That's just a transparent ruse because they know they can't directly go up against the 1st amendment.

    The article also says, "he has a lot of songs about gangs and shooting people—a history that’s anti-cop, pro-gang, and pro-drug use. He’s been basically outlawed in Chicago" which is clearly a content-based justification.

    > Public safety trumps 1st amendment every time.

    Even when such claims are not a ruse, that's hardly true. What matters is proportionality, otherwise no public performances would ever be permitted because there is always some level of risk.

  • (Score: 2) by tathra on Tuesday July 28 2015, @06:33PM

    by tathra (3367) on Tuesday July 28 2015, @06:33PM (#214985)

    What they say and what they mean are two different things. That's just a transparent ruse because they know they can't directly go up against the 1st amendment.

    exactly this, because he already stated repeatedly that the reason he wanted it shut down was that "Chief Keef [is] 'an unacceptable role model' whose music 'promotes violence.'". this was clearly stated as his reason, and "public safety" became a bullshit smokescreen excuse for what was already stated to be his reason. if not for there already being established facts that he had issue with the content and wanted to shut down the concert because of that, then the "public safety" excuse might work, but he already made it clear that the content was the issue, and then he just found whatever excuse he could that wouldn't get him in trouble.