Chief Keef’s Bang 3 Pt. 2 release party was cut short by police. The Chicago rapper was hosting a hologram performance and live show at a parking lot in Los Angeles on Friday (September 18) before law enforcement shut it down.
A police officer told Billboard that FilmOn, the label releasing the album and throwing the party, did not receive the proper permit for the event.
FilmOn A&R Grant Zimmerman was at the event and confirmed to HipHopDX that the police cited a problem with the permit as its reason for interrupting the party.
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“They claimed the captain of the LAPD didn’t approve the permits or something along those lines,” he says in an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “It just sounded wishy-washy to me.”
The performance was originally scheduled to take place at the Fonda Theater, but was blocked by AEG, who owns the venue, after an altercation occurred. Alki David, owner of FilmOn, moved the event to an adjacent parking lot.
“Everything was in order. Everybody was having a good time,” Zimmerman says. “There was nothing out of line, nothing illegal.”
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The police came just as the live performances were about to start.
“They just felt like ruining a good time for the fans and everybody involved, just ’cause they have the authority to do that,” he continues.
Slim Jesus was about to go on stage to perform when the event, which was also being live-streamed on FilmOn.com, was shut down. Zimmerman says the fact that the 19-year-old rapper didn’t get to do his set is especially saddening.
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“He’s out in LA, he’s never performed,” he says of the Hamilton, Ohio native who cites the Chicago Drill scene as his biggest inspiration. “He’s about to open up for Chief Keef at Chief Keef’s official album release party and that’s just like, imagine how that kid feels. Imagine how he feels. He was excited. My point is, it was a cool moment for Hip Hop.”
In July, a benefit concert with a scheduled appearance from a Chief Keef hologram was shut down by police in Indiana after moving venues in Chicago.
Despite these frustrations, Zimmerman says that it is easy to move forward. He says that Bang 3 Pt. 2 received a lot of attention in digital sales, reaching the #6 spot on iTunes. He says Chief Keef is about to go on tour and has recorded between 60 and 70 songs since Bang 3. Chief Keef is also slated to film a music video with Mac Miller.
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“At the end of the day, life goes on,” he says. “It’s nothing to lose sleep over. We all got too much shit popping.”
