DJ Jazzy Jeff Kicked Off Stage For Playing Hip-Hop

DJ Jazzy Jeff was kicked off stage at the Power & Light District in Kansas City due to a dispute over his music on Saturday.

The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, who was accompanied by rapper Skillz, said they were asked to pack up their crates and leave because organizers didn't want them to play hip-hop.

"My road manager walked up to me and said they were having problems with the music I was playing. I played three more songs and he comes back. I knew something was wrong," Jazzy Jeff told the Kansas City Star. "They said I had to kick Skillz off the stage, change the format of the music I was playing or quit. They said if I continued playing they had 30 cops ready to come escort me off stage. So I stopped. ... They said they didn't like Skillz's posture. They said he made gang-like signs and grabbed at his genitals. I was playing Rihanna, she is Top 40. If they would have let my set play, they would have known I play everything. I play rock, funk, soul, pop, hip-hop, reggae. I don’t play for a certain genre, race or gender. I play for music lovers.”

In his 25-year career, at 44 years old, Jeff has never been told to end a set because of hip-hop. He says he has never felt that kind of racism. The “element” that officials referred to felt like a reference to black people, a hip-hop crowd.

“I’m in shock,” he says. “I didn’t understand what element they were talking about. I looked out in the crowd and it was multicultural, but about 75 percent white. Everyone was having a great time. I wondered what was so offensive. I never had a race issue. I didn’t know how to feel. I was playing ‘Just a Friend.’ Is that offensive? What element? It’s uncomfortable when you feel unwanted.”


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