Hip Hop Culture in Miami

I never got hip hop music at all, but sometimes quote lyrics or mention the outrageous name of a performer to make D2 laugh. She likes the music. D1 -- not so much.

So 4 years ago some producers in Wynwood started a hip hop festival called Rolling Loud. It grew and grew, and last year moved into the stadium I always call Joe Robbie, even though it hasn't had that name in decades. Robbie built the place with his own money, and deserves the immortality, I figure.

Anyway, the thing is now the biggest hip hop music festival in the country, and last weekend it played out.  Rappers from all over came here, many staying in typically non hip hop places like Sunny Isles Beach, which is very rich and Jewish and, lately, Russian.

What played out over the weekend was a scene from a Wayans Brothers satire about rap culture. One performer, Kodak Black, was arrested as he tried to take the stage. A guy named AAB Hellabandz was shot and killed on South Beach by someone with a beef with him. 

Lil Wayne was outraged that he was to be wanded as he entered the stadium, and got all angry and refused to perform. I mean -- who needs to check for weapons at a hip hop festival, right?

And then Saturday was the worst of all. A rapper named NBA YoungBoy was leaving his luxury hotel, the Trump National on Sunny Isles, when a rival group opened fire on his posse. NBA stands for Never Broke Again -- not anything to do with basketball.

A gun battle broke out, NBA's girlfriend was hit, though not fatally, and some poor schlemiel working across Collins Avenue, returning cars for a Hertz outlet, was killed. He was a 40 something guy with an Arab sounding name, and by accounts was a nice, 12 year employee about to leave to celebrate Mother's Day with his family.

Afterwards, the groups fled, shooting at each other as they drove the Lehman Causeway towards Aventura -- and the mess shut down the whole area with the multiple scenes. The cops ended up arresting a bunch of these guys as they were entering Joe Robbie to perform.

The Rolling Loud twitter page said something like "Dis hip hop. We had some hiccups." When someone commented that 2 deaths was more than a hiccup, the response was "Nobody done die at event."

Ah, Miami tourism guys. They happily bring in ANYONE if it means they pay the absurd hotel prices.

Of course, this thing is nothing new. Years ago, Miami Beach hosted a great Klezmer music festival, and things got out of hand, when Moshe Ginsberg accused Stein's Deli of shorting his kreplach order. Loud yelling in Yiddish resulted.

Thankfully, these people are gone -- but not for long. Memorial Day has somehow become Urban Beach Weekend, and South Beach will welcome back some tourists who tend to get into the same dustups as the Rolling Loud folks.

Many South Beach residents leave town rather than get caught in the crossfire. The mayor and commissioners try to  deal with the problem while remaining politically correct.

This year, they invited the US military to hold and air and sea show, hoping the different demographic that is interested in that sort of thing will sort of dilute the other types of tourists...

All I know is, a culture that glamorizes violence isn't one I want to be part of. But in fairness, some of the puns and play on words for the performers IS pretty funny. Nipsey Hustle -- a rapper killed in LA last month? Hey -- he knew Nipsey Russel, the comedian.

I'm so old and out of touch, but I DO enjoy not getting shot by idiots protecting their pride...