Representatives for the University Of Maryland Eastern Shore have commented on their reasons for cancelling an on-campus concert featuring Busta Rhymes. As previously reported, students at the college, which traditionally has a high proportion of black students, have been kicking up a fuss ever since college officials announced they were pulling the gig.
Commenting on their decision, a spokesman for the college said they had nothing against the artists involved or their genre of music, but that a police intelligence report handed to the college linked the artists to gang activity and a number of recent "acts of violence" and that therefore they felt it was inappropriate to host the gig on campus at this time.
UMES Director Of PR Suzanne Street told Allhiphop.com: "The decision was made by our Vice President of Administrational Affairs [Dr Ronnie E. Holden] and the decision was not based on the genre of music or even the artists themselves, but the situations surrounding the artists at this time. In talking with Dr Holden, the University decided this was not the best time to have them [Busta Rhymes et al] on campus. It's not to say [that] they are not welcomed back, but we felt the timing to have these artists was not right".
It is unclear whether resentment in the New York Police Department at Rhymes' refusal to participate in their investigations into the fatal shooting of a bodyguard at one of the rapper's video shoots this time last year had any bearing on the decision. Actually, the mentioned police report may not have just dealt with issues surrounding Rhymes. Rapper Jim Jones, a founder member of The Diplomats, was also due to play, and there have been some outbreaks of violence at his gigs in the last year, plus the hip hop group often talk about their affiliation with the Bloods Street gang. Tensions are also growing between The Diplomats camp and 50 Cent's entourage, although those tensions have so far been mainly restricted to mutual mix tape dissing.
Street added that once student leaders, who had opposed the gig cancellation initially, had seen the police report they had backed the college's decision: "They are going to have a concert in the spring and the students will offer a list of artists. Administration will do their due diligence as usual and the students will have their concert".