Rolling Loud New York 2019 commenced this past weekend. First of its kind on the East Coast, it received some dampening news. Police removed five artists from the festival due to “public safety concerns”.
Here is the letter below:
Artists Casanova and Don Q took to their Instagram accounts and claimed the action as unfair. Some people on Twitter think that there are far worse people on the lineup with gang affiliations that did not receive the same punishment. It is unfortunate that it happened, but the show must go on.
This is stirring some controversial debate over the internet. Since fans of the EDM community do not listen to these artists, who could care? Hip hop fans that attended the festival do. Another artist performing gave a shout out to those that were removed. He mentioned that regardless of their preconceived notions, they should still have a right to their freedom of expression.
It comes as no surprise that these types of events could bring necessary precautions when it comes to security. Attendee safety is of the utmost importance and the NYPD were aware of that.
Founder Tariq Cherif issued the following tweet in response:
At least 60,000 people attended each day, which meant founders, attendees, and staff had to comply with the city. If New York wants this event to return, the company needed to be sure that it went right the first time.
Wu Tang Clan, Tyga, Travis Scott, and Meek Mills headlined over the course of the weekend. Action Bronson brought ice cream to the event and Rihanna guest starred with A$AP Rocky last night. While Travis injured his knee, the city still lit up the night with fireworks and crowds that will remember this weekend forever.
As an all ages show, do you think the police acted fairly?
