SOHH LEFT COAST
BARS Awards Report, Part 2
Posted on December 6, 2006 12:00 AM
I apologize if the blog is a little scatterbrained today, but cold season is officially in full motherfuckin’ effect, and I feel like death. I’m gonna take some meds, get some rest, and hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back in top form so I can argue with you all intermittently throughout the day.
I’m still trying to get the lowdown on just what happened at the B.A.R.S. Awards on Saturday, but details seem to be pretty scarce and the official B.A.R.S. website has been no help. I did to talk to my homie Portia Jackson, who is the publicist for Mob Figaz, Traxamillion, and Bay Area DJ team The Demolition Men, and from the way she recounted the night’s events, shit sounded like it got way out of hand.
According to her, the ceremony only had the time to get a few performances off (apparently the awards were to be handed out after the performances) before the event was shut down. Dudes kept making their way to the stage with huge entourages in tow, and as she recalls, someone she didn’t recognize pulled out a cash wad and started making comments about how no one else was walkin’ around with 10 G’s like he was; as she recalls, it was around then that things started to get out of control. As people started crowding around the press area in front of the stage as if it were a concert (which it wasn’t), more and more attendees started climbing up on the stage, which she described as “huge.”
At one point, somewhere around 300 people were on the stage, and although many of the artists who were either performing or presenting- including E-40, San Quinn and Keak Da Sneak -tried to diffuse the situation by attempting to talk the crowd off the stage, eventually the San Mateo Police Department took things into their own hands, and was leading the entire crowd towards the exits in single file lines. Booyowski, one of the event’s head coordinators, apparently yelled out the award winners (with no microphone, albeit) before the event was completely shut down. In a moment that could best be described as bittersweet, The Jacka of Mob Figaz won Best Underground Artist Of The Year; unfortunately, not many other people were around to hear it.
There’s definitely a sense of disappointment shared by many Northern California hip hop fans that this event went down the way it did; after years of fighting to be taken seriously by the rest of the hip hop world, a few people put forth the effort to do something for their own scene and to provide an event where we could show gratitude to the artists that are displaying the talent and effort to push Bay Area rap to the forefront. And instead of making the shit pop off like it could have, a bunch of ignorant jackasses had to ruin it and show the rest of the world that a lot of people from the Bay Area still aren’t ready be taken seriously.
And one last thing; to clear things up for all of you dumb motherfuckers who think that every artist that comes out of the bay is a hyphy artist, it’s time to pull your heads out of your asses. What happened at the BARS awards had nothing to do with the so-called hyphy movement, and a good portion of the artists in attendance have absolutely nothing to do with that scene. Saying that someone like Yukmouth or The Jacka or Guce is associated with hyphy is like saying that every rapper outta NYC is associated with “Chicken Noodle Soup,” or that every rap artist down South is making snap music. If you’re not familiar with Bay Area hip hop, bite your fucking tongue and do some research before you start running your mouth.
Comments
1st dont care
?
very well put, if u don't nothing about Bay Area Music...then some of y'all need to shut the hell up and find out about it.
I have to admit ... Bay Area rap is good ... though i don't like hypy that much ... and crunk is so so ...
Yukmouth's 'Here we Come' has a sick ... sick ... I REPEAT SICK ... beat ... one of my fav's ...
Not to be hating Eighty ... but hip hop concerts or awards for that much have never really been great ... many hip hop artists and rappers are fairly egocentric ... and as a result treat their fans with disdain ... well thats my opinion
Cheers
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FILTHYFATTZ
WWW.TAGWORLD.COM/FILTHYFATTZ
If you’re not familiar with Bay Area hip hop, bite your fucking tongue and do some research before you start running your mouth.
Posted by SOHH Eighty at December 6, 2006 02:30 AM
_________________
Been sayin that shit since I came on here. The hip hop scene is so diverse it's crazy. But unlike in a lot of regions, all the different types of styles ALL make music together...
You can't enlighten people who continue to leave their eyes closed.
No one is checking on "go dumb"
I myself have been getting hella calls from back home all with different accounts on how it went down from people licking shots in the parking lot to it steming from turf beef, who knows..
ONCE AGAIN. WHO CARES? WHERE DO THEY FIND THESE BLOG TOPICS. THE ONLY TIME TO BLOG IS WHEN YOUR ABSOLUTELY FIRST SO YOU CAN WRITE FIRST. LOL
I had to go an read pt. 1. Hyphy is an embarassment an a discrace to Northern Cali. All hyphy is is people high off exstacy an cociaine havin seizures to the beat of some corny instrumental.
DAMN.. IT ALWAYS TAKES 1 SILLY NIGGA TO RUIN SHIT!! ITZ BEEN A LONG HARD GRIND FOR THE BAY.. FINALLY NIGGAZ GET THA BARZ AWARDZ AND DONT KNOW HOW TO ACT.. IT ALWAYS TAKE A FEW STUPID NIGGAZ TO RUIN IT! OVER 10 RACKZ! EVERYBODYZ GETTIN GUAP- THE FUCK IZ 10 RACKZ!! BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE INDUSTRY IZ FULLA HOOD NIGGAZ WIT MONEY.. SO SUMBODY GOTTA ACT UP.. I KNOW THERE WAS SUM BAD BITCHES OUT THERE THO!
hi, just read your posts on the bars awards.
as a journalist who has covered the bay area hip-hop scene extensively and who not only attended the awards, but had a good vantage point (the media pit) from which to observe the events, i think i have a pretty good perspective on what happened.
but first, i have a bone to pick about your headline, "Hip Hop Shoots itself in The Foot Again," which i thought was sensationalist and jumped to conclusions without proprly researching the facts. That's a bit irresponsible, in my opinion.
The biggest problem is that nowhere in either of your posts was there any mention of the role of the venue staff, security and police in contributing to the fiasco. In fact, it's hard to imagine a less-professional job of security being done that what i personally witnessed at the event. After talking to both the firm hired to do security and the promoter of the event, it's apparent that there might well be some lawsuits resulting from this incident.
Bottom line is that security did not do its job, period. There was no barrier on one side of the stage preventing backstage access, just a curtain. The barrier in front of the stage had a large gap (4-5 feet), through which anyone could have walked through. Security made no attempt to prevent people from coming out of the crowd, getting into the media pit, and climbing on stage. The backstage area was not well lit, and not only did security not have flashlights, but they obviously did not restrict access to that area, as they were being paid to do. Furthermore, the police officers who were onstage when the stage got flooded just stood there and didn't lift a finger. Only when 40 cops in riot gear arrived did they make any attempt at crowd management, clearing the house and telling people to leave. According to the promoter, security did not meet with him the day of the show to discuss crowd management logistics, and the ushers did not man their posts whatsoever. And apparently, the firm hired to do security did not hire experienced guards, but posted an ad on Craigs List the night before the show seeking help.
Given all that, it's obvious the problems at the BARS Awards cannot be blamed on the hyphy movement or rappers and their entourages alone. Had the venue and the security firm done its job, no one but the presenters and performers would have been allowed on stage. And the police just stood by and let the whole thing dissolve into chaos. There was only one minor scuffle, not several fights as you reported, and the fact that there were no arrests or injuries supports the idea that the crowd came in peace, a little trash-talking notwithstanding.
Ultimately, this incident reflects badly on all the people who have worked hard to shine light on an underappreciated scene, but a few knuckleheads are not the reason it went down the way it did. We'll never know what would have happened had the venue been properly secured and had guards, police and ushers actually made an effort at crowd management, which is a shame.
By the way, if you'd like to read a journalistic account of the incident, peep my column on it which comes out next wed. at eastbayexpress.com; feel free to link it.
If you'd like to follow-up, i can be reached at 510-893-3484 or via e-mail.
Eric Arnold
Why everyone talking down on hyphy and The Bay. I know the show got cut short cuz of a couple hard head negro's but what about the mixtape award huh. What happen NY someone wasn't doing this Chicken noodle soup dance wrong or did someone forget the soda on the side. Coast to coast shit get shut down cuz of some hard head negros. What did Chris Rock say if they step on yo pumas let it slide something like that.
I'm from the bay and yea a nigga like to go dumb after working 30 plus hour a week. What should I do listen to Jay-Z's "Minority Report" or listen to "Show Me What You Got. Or should I listen to E-40's "Things Gonna Change" or "Tell Me When To Go". Different moods calls for different music. Don't hate hyphy hate the niggas who abuse it.
Just cuz you see the one thing from an area to single them out to be that cuz if so I'm still waiting for KRS ONE to drop a hot 16 on "Chicken Noddle" to make it a another NY classic remix. I can see it right next to "Flavor In Ya Ear Remix". How about Eminem hops on the "Chain Hang Lo Remix". Just saying if you ain't got atleast 5 to 10 cds from a coast or region don't judge em. For the record I don't hate the east coast, got the new J getting the new Nas but you talking slick bout where I'm from and you don't know what its about. 1
Why everyone talking down on hyphy and The Bay. I know the show got cut short cuz of a couple hard head negro's but what about the mixtape award huh. What happen NY someone wasn't doing this Chicken noodle soup dance wrong or did someone forget the soda on the side. Coast to coast shit get shut down cuz of some hard head negros. What did Chris Rock say if they step on yo pumas let it slide something like that.
I'm from the bay and yea a nigga like to go dumb after working 30 plus hour a week. What should I do listen to Jay-Z's "Minority Report" or listen to "Show Me What You Got. Or should I listen to E-40's "Things Gonna Change" or "Tell Me When To Go". Different moods calls for different music. Don't hate hyphy hate the niggas who abuse it.
Just cuz you see the one thing from an area to single them out to be that cuz if so I'm still waiting for KRS ONE to drop a hot 16 on "Chicken Noddle" to make it a another NY classic remix. I can see it right next to "Flavor In Ya Ear Remix". How about Eminem hops on the "Chain Hang Lo Remix". Just saying if you ain't got atleast 5 to 10 cds from a coast or region don't judge em. For the record I don't hate the east coast, got the new J getting the new Nas but you talking slick bout where I'm from and you don't know what its about. 1
E40 kneak san mess yuk and a hole lot of bay area rappers hold it down including HYPHY MOVEMENT.So keep holding it down,Northen CALIFORNIA.its only a matter of time before THE BAY AREA gets huge.shit the bay had all time best 2pac mac dre RIP .BULLYS &FULLYS 1,2,3 ARE BEATS. any way shit happens for the barz awards hopefully their will be barz 07
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