On Saturday, June 6th, DJ Z-Trip performed at the Power & Light District in Kansas City, followed by DJ Jazzy Jeff, then MSTRKRFT. That evening, Jeff’s set was unexpectedly cut short by the venue. While speculation continues as to the reasoning behind this action, Z-Trip was present at the time of the debated incident.
While soundchecking, Z-Trip was asked by certain venue employees to “not play any rap music.” As one of the founders of the mash-up movement, hip-hop is heavily prevalent in Z’s repertoire. He proceeded with his set as planned, playing ODB and Pharoahe Monch.
Z-Trip watched Jazzy Jeff go on immediately following, joined by his MC, Skillz, playing a set full of Top 40 Hip-hop which included Jay-Z, Rihanna, Neyo, and TI. Mid set, Z-Trip, while standing on stage, witnessed Jeff's tour manager relay the complaints the venue had about the music he was playing. “I was really surprised the venue were upset by Jeff's set. This is Jazzy Jeff we're talking about, the guy who won the first Rap Grammy,” offers Z-Trip.
The entire venue watched Jeff leave the stage early. Once back stage, he was informed that lewd conduct by Skillz was the reason for his set being cut short. Soon after, a different reason was offered: Jeff was pushing the mix too far for their $50k audio system to handle.
"They had a team of sound engineers in front of the stage who controlled the master volume of the whole venue,” says Z-Trip. “No matter how loud a DJ plays, the person in front of the stage controls the show. So how can you blame it on sound levels – especially since this was the third explanation given.”
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