Mar 28, 2016
Atlanta rapper 21 Savage has had his March 30th headlining show at Webster Hall moved after the NYPD allegedly issued a "strong advisory" to the venue. According to The Fader, Savage's set has been moved from the venerated Manhattan venue to AVIV in Brooklyn, amidst pressure from community members and the police aimed at coercing Webster into hosting "quieter" shows.
This cancellation also comes on the heels of two further puzzling moves by Webster Hall's management, which recently scrapped their weekly hip-hop night, House Party, and instituted a seemingly targeted dress code policy that bans: hats, hoodies, boots, and baggie jeans, and requires male patrons to wear a collared shirt.
This all begs the question: Is Webster Hall consciously distancing itself from hip-hop music and its fans, or is this simply a response to unwanted problems from the police?
As of this moment it's impossible to say definitively, though it should be noted that according to 21 Savage's manager he has never before had a show moved.
Savage, even among rappers, seems to have a particularly infamous reputation, with purported gang ties and gun charges a part of his brutal past.
Marry this violent history to a markedly tattooed face and bellicose trap-flavored music, and it's perhaps easy to see why 21 Savage may ruffle some feathers. However, I think it's shortsighted and unfair to condemn Savage and those that would support his music based on only the faint suspicion of threat, which is unfounded and due almost entirely to the image of the artist and his fans.
Webster Hall may not be to blame in this incident, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore the mounting evidence that Manhattan doesn't want anything to do with hip-hop.
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