Updates by J-Mo (The Life of an Intern)..

Hey NCE fans, J-Mo in the house with some very interesting information on the Madison hip hop scene..

North Coast Entertainment CEO, Brent Hoffmann, was interviewed a couple weeks ago by Kara McKinney of NBC 15 on hip hop and its relationship in Madison, Wisconsin. This has been such a interesting topic in the past few years Here is the response to the interview which can also be found under Kara's blog at
www.nbc15.com/blogs/karamckinney/25806719.html :

HIP HOP. It's been a big controversy in town, in many towns, for years.

And for many music venues, the question remains, to play or not to play.
Hip hop has gotten a bad rap (no pun intended) for causing violence at
many bars and clubs.

Club Seven, King Club and the Majestic Theatre were just some of the
places playing hip hop before they closed down.

But, is the music really to blame?

The Majestic on King Street probably got the most media attention.
Police were constantly called to bar-time brawls. Brawls, that
eventually led to the rewriting of the club's liquor license and
eventually it's closure.

It reopened last September under new ownership with no problems
reported since.

"We became much more focused on live music and way less on being a club. DJ's are used to fill in gaps in the calendar only, and DJ nights are always branded as a special event, such as Soundlab or IQ Discotech. We are focused on becoming event driven and providing our patrons with a fun experience that is always safe. If our customers didn't feel safe, we wouldn't be in business still," says Scott Leslie, co-owner of Majestic Theatre.

Helping provide safety, has been Madison Police.

Lester Moore has worked in law enforcement for twelve years and currently works as a gang officer. While he is sometimes on the scene for his job, he believes Hip-Hop isn't all bad. He can actually be a fan. "Hip Hop is a culture, says Moore. Hip-Hop is a lifestyle. KRS ONE said, "Rapping is something we do. Hip-Hop is what we live." Not all hip-hop music is negative. There are some artists out there that are sending out a positive message to their fans. Unfortunately these artists do not get much airplay."

Moore doesn't believe hip hop is to blame for violence, but says parts of the culture may be a factor. "The problem with hip-hop in Madison is that it has gotten a bad name because of issues with violence that has occurred in an around many venues that feature hip-hop. Not all nightclubs have problems with hip-hop. I would suspect that much of the problem lies in the management of some of the events." says Moore.

There is a focus on changing the reputation hip hop has in our community.

Brent Hoffmann is President of North Coast Entertainment and he's helping plan the 2008 Industry Meltdown. The Midwest Music Summit is scheduled for September, 20th at The Monona Terrace and Inn on the Park.

It's an educational event for artists, DJ's, managers, and label executives to learn directly from industry veterans on how to succeed in the music industry.

One of the topics at the conference is "Music In Your Community" -what works and what doesn't. "We will be working with artists from all over the Midwest and finding out what obstacles they face and what has worked for them in the past, Hoffmann says. We can then take this information and put it to work in Madison."

When asked about hip hop's reputation in Madison, Hoffmann says he believes it's a problem across the nation. "It's not just a "hip hop" problem it is a problem with any music that is not understood and not accepted by that city's decision makers. It is basic human psychology; you tear down and/or shut down what you don't understand. Every single person can relate that experience with something in their own lives either today or growing up as a child. It takes patience, understanding and a willingness to step outside your own comfort zone to educate yourself on what is happening," says Hoffmann.

What do you guys think?

Talk to you soon!

J-Mo