Man, I'm sorta pissed. While the story is still "unfolding," it seems that T.I. and his entourage were involved in a violent shoot out. But, wait I haven't even got to the most rediculous crap. After T.I.'s concert at Bogarts last night, he and his group went to go party at the Ritz Niteclub. At the kloob they got into an argument which escalated. On their drive back to the hotel, which took them down I-75, the group became engaged in a big gun battle WHILE DRIVING. For 3 miles the two arguing groups were shooting at one another. Wait, slow down, actually the only injure were in T.I.'s posse so maybe they were just being shot at. (From the way this seemed to have panned out, I'm doubting it though.) T.I.P. was not injured in the debacle, but 4 people in his group were. (edit: from all the reports I'm seeing, it was not T.I. or his crew that fired any shots. Down below I've included a witnesses account from the Enquirer)
When Clayton, Matt and Drew offered me a chance to go to T.I. I was reluctant. Not so much because of going to the concert, but any time there is a rap concert in Cincinnati I get a bad vibe. This is a bad thing. I don't want to feel like this but it seems that hip-hop shows here attract people who have bad intentions. While on different ends of the popularit scale, this is the second violent hip-hop related incident this year. First, the incident on Short Vine and now this. It's not every thing, the KRS-One show went off with none of this crap. Why do people who feel they need to prove their machismo keep showing up at this shit. If we begin getting a reputation for this shit we're never really going to help the rep Cincinnati has. These are major media attention incidents. This is just more random violence we can tag on to our rep. Pretty damn unfortunate.
I mean, I'm just complaining here. I'm so flustered about this that I really have no idea what should be done. It's tough to curb random violence like this. You can't just have cops tailing major rap stars to make sure nothing goes awry. Actually, we probably won't have to much of a problem anymore because no more major names in rap will play shows here. We're going to now have a reputation of a violent, shit-starting town. The last thing you want when you are on tour is to have to deal with a difficult town. And you definately don't want to fuck with a town that will get you involed in a 3 mile long gun battle on a highway that ultimately keeps you in Cincinnati due to police investigation making you miss your next show.
Dammit. as soon as I come up with a solution for this, I'll let you know. Right now, I'm just pissed about it all. I thought I got away from Baltimore.
Love,
John
P.S. From
The Enquirer:
"Witnesses told the Enquirer the problem started when a large group of men at the night club became upset after money was being thrown from the stage by one member a rapper’s entourage.
“It was supposed to be for the ladies,” said one witness, who asked not to be named. “But it (the money) was hitting the guys in the face and they were like, ‘We got money’ so why are you throwing money at us?’”
(If I do say so myself, worst reason for an incident like this ever. This was guys just trying to start shit.)The tension mounted and moved outside, where the witness said T.I. was trying to get his group packed up in their vans.
“T.I. was telling his boys, ‘Come on let’s go. Let’s Go.’ And the Cincinnati boys were like, ‘Yea, let’s go.’”
The witness said about four people – believed to be from Cincinnati -- followed the rappers’ vans in a large vehicle, possibly a GMC Tahoe.
The witness said one shot was fired in the parking lot, but he did not think it was related to the tension.
“They were just showing off,” the witness said.
The names and conditions of those shot were not available. They were all taken to University Hospital.
Although police did confirm that the dead person was part of the T.I.’s entourage, they say T.I. was not injured.
Two vans belonging to T.I. were found on the I-75. One victim was from one van. Three people in the other van were shot.
The wounded included one woman. A man, believed to be a victim, was escorted out of University Hospital before 7 a.m. by a police officer. The man had bandages on his arm."
There is something important about the concept of anticipation when it comes to music. I am a lover of the "wall-of-noise" sound, but herein lies the beauty of presence and absence. Without the quiet and simplicity which precedes it, a wall of noise is nothing. At times a song can be picking its way along, beautifully, with a fragility all its own. And then suddenly it can be torn apart by a million tracks of guitars, organs, triangles, drum machines, steel drums, vox effects, etc. But for my money there really is nothing better than that moment where you can feel it coming, you know it's supposed to come. You can feel that simple guitar line about to break up. It seems simple and basic now, but that brick wall of sound is about to come. That tension followed by a release in your brain when that little ditty comes crashing down around you is the best thing you can feel in music. That loud/soft dynamic, the crash and splash of cymbals and drums, that moments pause before the band returns to your ears full force. These are the things that make good music, not fashion, not videos, not a good "buzz" surrounding your band. It's the moment you can start breathing because that anticipation is gone is where the money is. The rush of blood that comes along with that big breath is something only notes can do.
