Live Nation Cancels Hip-Hop Shows Following T.I. Concert Shooting

The fallout continues from last week’s infamous T.I. concert shooting in New York, as concert giant Live Nation postponed four rap concerts – three at Irving Plaza, the site of the T.I. concert, and one at Gramercy Theater, which it also operates.

The concert giant, who has deals to promote the concerts and other projects with Madonna, U2, Shakira, Wiz Khalifa, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, pulled the plug on the shows just days after the T.I concert shooting, saying they were “acting with an overabundance of caution and coordinating a going-forward strategy with the New York Police Department that may also include a curfew,” a spokesman said in the statement, which was later refuted by the N.Y.P.D., who through a spokesperson, said Live Nation’s decision to cancel the concerts  were “no way influenced by the N.Y.P.D.”

Among the shows canceled include a Joey Bada$$  concert that was scheduled at Irving Plaza tonight, Mac Miller, who was set to perform there Friday, and Vince Staples, who had a show scheduled there Saturday. Those shows were to be presented as part of the Governors Ball Music Festival, which takes place this weekend in New York. At the Gramercy Theater, a performance by West Coast rapper YG was postponed. Additionally, two non-hip-hop concerts were postponed, including a performance by Guns N’ Roses cover band Appetite for Destruction and Canadian rock group Black Pistol Fire at the Gramercy.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues into the May 25 shootings that left one person dead and three others injured. So far, only rapper Troy Ave. has been arrested in connection with the shooting after police viewed surveillance footage, which was later released to the media, of the rapper, whose real name is Roland Collins, firing a gun backstage at the crowded venue.  This week he was charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon to which he plead not guilty. One of Troy Ave.’s bodyguards, Ronald McPhatter, who was 33, was killed at the Irving Plaza. Troy Ave was shot in the leg in what police believe to a self-inflicted wound.

Troy Ave was driven to a nearby hospital that night by this manager. Police later searched the vehicle, and according to several reports, found three guns.

It is believed that one of the guns found in the car was used to kill McPhatter, but ballistics test are yet to confirm this suspicion.

It appears the artists whose shows were canceled as a result of the T.I. concert shooting are taking the news in stride. Joey Badass, a 21-year-old rapper from Brooklyn, told his fans on social media on Wednesday to meet him at G-Star Raw store in SoHo for an event. “They cancelled my show tmrw,” he wrote, “so we gon tparty.”

Human Nature photo