By Ani Yapoundzhyan, 17, Hoover HS

“CDs and music videos allow you to hear hip hop music, but nothing feels better than standing in a large crowd observing a performance and bobbing your head to the music, letting it absorb throughout your body.
Ever since hip hop went mainstream, however, there have been numerous fights and police interference that have not only taken the fun out of concerts, but given hip hop shows such a bad name that many concert venues have shied away from them. How many times has some idiot started a fight in the middle of a performance because someone accidentally bumped into him? That simple act sometimes leads to group fights and even the cancellation of shows which nowadays could cost fans hundreds of dollars in ticket prices.
At 92.3 The Beat’s Summer Jam ’98, during the middle of R&B singer Jon B’s performance, I watched from the press box as a group of about ten men from the back rows ran down the stairs, somehow got passed security, rushed the stage and attacked whoever they could get their hands on. There was no use of weapons, but there was punching, kicking and just plain rumble on the stage. Jon B’s bodyguards immediately rushed him off stage and let the security do the dirty work. Thankfully, the incident was quickly resolved and the concert did not get canceled.
However, the damage was done and the fans’ easy-going mood changed into one of strained nervousness. Instead of singing along, cheering and clapping, people were unusually quiet and looked uneasy, as if any second, another fight would erupt. Their full attention was not given to the stage. Monica, who performed directly after the incident, was on edge and Brian McKnight, who was scheduled to perform later on in the show, fled the scene when he heard of the fight. So I ask, how did security let these people get all the way down to the stage from the back of the arena? In my opinion, security should have stopped those fans in their tracks.

Sometimes it is security or the police that cause trouble
Other times, the violence at concerts is the fault of the police rather than the fan. Take the “riot” at Venice Beach in February. That entire weekend, thousands of hip hop fans gathered at UCLA from across the country for the annual B-Boy Summit. There were no fights, no acts of violence and no problems even though the events ended around 2 a.m. both Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday, February 28, was supposed to be the last day of the event and it was relocated to Venice Beach because the planners were expecting a large show of people.
The organizers for the event had a permit for the beach issued by the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks. In other words, they had a full right to be there. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Police Department declared a citywide tactical alert and rushed in over 100 officers in riot gear to break up the event after two officers came across the crowd when they chased two suspected taggers. Eight people were arrested and police Captain Gary Williams eventually told the Los Angeles Times that the police department did not know anything about the concert. In my opinion, the police—clueless as to what was taking place around them—saw a large group of teenagers and overreacted, in turn causing a riot and ruining a very special event for hip hop concert-goers from all over the country. All in the name of the law? I would say ignorance.
Because of incidents such as the ones described, many venues are now too intimidated to house hip hop concerts and shows. In the end, it does not matter who is at fault because either way, the hip hop fans end up losing.
There are countless concerts that take place without incidents. The most publicized concert of the year, The Hard Knock Life Tour featuring Jay Z, DMX and others, has been touring around the country for months without any violence erupting. The Roots recently performed in Los Angeles and the attitude was pure love. The show was so beautiful that there were people dancing in the crowds. The police lingering in the parking lot were quickly forgotten while the music took over. But these shows are lost in the whirlwind of violence and controversy surrounding live hip hop.
As long as there is one guy looking for a fight or one cop looking for a victim, hip hop shows will always be in trouble. There are no real solutions because thugs will be thugs and as for the police, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Hopefully, a time won’t come when all we have is the radio or that one favorite CD. The raw feel of a live show happens only once and can never be duplicated.”