NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton caused a stir over the radio on Thursday (May 26), referring to rappers as "thugs" and pointing blame directly at them for the violence that rears at their shows. Bratton made the comments while a guest on New York's WCBS Newsradio 880, the morning after gunshots erupted during a T.I. concert at Irving Plaza. One man was killed and three were taken to the hospital with flesh wounds in what police suspect was a shooting that resulted from a feud between the entourages of Brooklyn rappers Maino and Troy Ave.
30-year-old Troy Ave, whose given name is Roland Collins is reported to have been the first person hit, and is recovering at New York Medical Center from a shot to the leg. Maggie Heckster, 26, was also struck in the leg and rests in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital along with Christopher Vinson, 34, who was shot in the chest. Troy Ave. Fitness trainer B$B Banga [Ronald McPhatter, 33] whom mainstream news outlets have labelled one of Troy's bodyguards, was shot in the stomach and rushed to Beth Israel Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The violence broke out in the VIP/green room area while Maino was performing with fellow Brooklyn artist Uncle Murda. Police are reviewing footage of the ballroom style floor clearing in a stampede of 900 attendees. Witnesses have refused to come forward.
"The crazy world of these so-called rap artists who are basically thugs that basically celebrate violence they did all their lives, and unfortunately that violence often times manifests itself during their performances, and that's exactly what happened last evening," Bratton said. "The background of a lot of these young people, they are significant artists in that world...but unfortunately the lifestyles that they lived...often time follows them into the entertainment world and the success they have in it. ... It's unfortunate. You'd like to think that with all the wealth that comes from the fame, that they'll be able to turn their lives around but they continue hanging out with the same people they hung out with when they came out of that world of desperation, poverty, and crime."
The commissioner's comments were met with a mixed reaction as fans of Hip Hop music unleashed a flood of defensive tweets, many of which questioned his judgement in singling out the genre when violence at music shows is generally universal. "As opposed to the violence at a Trump rally?" one responder posed, going beyond the arts all together to underscore the potential for violence at any juncture.
Source: complex.com
