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Hip-hop and the city of Portland have had, shall we say, a contentious relationship of late. Scratch that: Of always.
But now, it appears local officials are finally willing to treat rap with the same respect it's previously afforded sea otters, sock knitting, the Norwegian constitution and, of course, the Decemberists—by giving it its own day.
By decree of the Mayor's Office, Oct. 15 in Portland will henceforth be known as "Hip-Hop Day." A live concert, featuring Vinnie Dewayne, Mic Capes, Jon Belz and others, will take place at City Hall that afternoon. In a statement, the always-hip Charlie Hales (aka DJ Sad Eyez) said he can't wait to get his swerve on. Well, not in those exact words:
The proclamation comes a little less than a year after the city auditor's office released an investigation into claims that the Portland Police Bureau unfairly targets rap concerts and related events, blaming a lack of communication for exacerbating the tension between police and the hip-hop community.
"And that's what this is about," said Idris "StarChile" Oferrall, a longtime Portland rap promoter, in a statement that circulated on social media before the official announcement. "We want to celebrate the music and culture of Hip Hop in Portland, just like any other genre of music, and not feel like we're being singled out because of who we are."
Others are more suspicious of Hales' motivations. On its Facebook page, Don't Shoot Portland—whose most prominent figure is rapper Glenn Waco [UPDATE: Waco clarifies the following post was not written by him.]—accused the mayor of pandering for the black youth vote:
The Hip-Hop Day concert takes place Thursday, Oct. 15, at City Hall, beginning at 4 pm.
Willamette Week