DJ Jazzy Jeff vs. Cordish

The Kansas City Power & Light District -- KC's version of the 5-year-old Fourth Street Live, both owned by the Cordish Group -- is in a row with DJ Jazzy Jeff over whether the DJ was kicked off the stage (just like Uncle Phil would do!) for playing hip-hop during a performance at the entertainment district. DJ Jazzy Jeff was scheduled to spin disks at the entertainment district, but his set was abruptly cut short, according to stories in the Kansas City Star newspaper. Later, the deejay famous for his decades-long collaboration with rapper-cum-megastar actor Will Smith explained this via Twitter, which was republished by the Star:

“How did they kick me off stage in Kansas City for playin’ hip hop,” stated a posting on DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Twitter page. “I’m a 25-year legend … this is some (expletive).” The message continued: “I mean, I was playin’ (expletive) like “Just a Friend” … it’s a Heineken commercial for god’s sake … 3,000 people were rockin … KC Live sucks … they said they wanted Top 40 … look at the Top 40 list.”

The Power & Light District has said the disagreement had nothing to do with music genre, but over concerns that the volume of DJ Jazzy Jeff's music would damage the facility's speakers. DJ Jazzy Jeff's people say the volume issue was never broached to DJ Jazzy Jeff or his road manager. And the DJ has said the controversy was not about race, as critics have said, but simply about the style of music he was playing. Which seems like an exercise in hair-splitting. Besides, DJ Jazzy Jeff implied in his Tweet, Top 40 contains plenty of hip-hop. The matter of Power & Light District and race is getting national attention from the likes of NPR and the Huffington Post (which contains some lewd language), being paired with another controversy at the Power & Light District that will be familiar to Louisvillians: a restrictive dress code that some argue discriminates against minorities.