Plenty of people were probably downright appalled when they got wind of Loose Cannon Ent.’s show billed as “State of Emergency Concert.” The show is being held on the night of the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday with the intentions of moving forward with Dr. King’s legacy of non-violence, yet features Wacka Flocka and Rick Ross as the headlining acts.Â
Both artists’ messages actually preach in the opposite direction of what one might consider moving this generation towards the state of mind that King’s words inspire. And so do the actions of countless young people – many of whom recite Ross and Flocka’s words from memory – in St. Louis who have aided in building the city’s reputation for crime, violence and murder.
But Slim, the man behind the concert, believes that there needs to be a new method of delivering the necessary medicine to the spirits of generation to motivate them to act in peace … by any means necessary.
Slim has been a popular promoter in the area for the past several years, and has decided to ambush the people who need it most from his side of things Monday night.
“I feel like it’s getting serious. Pretty soon St. Louis is gonna get blown past and I’m saying, ‘If y’all don’t kick it off, I’ll kick it off,'” Slim said.
“I don’t have all of the answers. But what I want to do is force everybody else’s hand as far as standing up and taking action. We’ve got to start somewhere and I’m not saying, ‘Ooh this concert is going to change the whole city,’ but I’m putting it out there.”
The concert will feature two of the hottest rap acts in the game right now (and several others) with the downtime between acts designated for individuals planting seeds for peace and motivating the crowd to recognize the need to create a positive atmosphere in our city. State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, community leaders – and Slim himself – will be center stage to take a stand against violence.
Slim believes in order for the words to resonate, the message has to be part of a package they can relate to.
“Rick Ross and Wacka Flocka look like them – and yeah, they’re gonna be talking about let’s make it rain,” Slim said. “But at the same time, I look like them too – and we’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, let’s make it rain, but at the same time let’s put the guns down.'”
Will Slim’s intentions and purpose behind the show get lost in the shuffle of them soaking in the concert? He doesn’t believe so.
“Let Wacka Flocka say, ‘He go hard in the paint’ – he gonna say at 1 o’clock in the morning at every club in the city anyway,” Slim said. “It’s up to us to give them something else along with that. They’ve already bought their message. What I’m trying to do is offer the young people a message inbetween the music.”
Are people going to accuse him of capitalizing on King’s legacy under false intentions? He doesn’t care.
“I ain’t a fool, and I ain’t gonna say that this concert ain’t gonna be about making some money too,” he said. “But I could have the concert anyway on another day and make money. And I don’t have to do it here.”
Slim is from St. Louis, but he works in other cities as well. He’s currently headquartered in rapper Rick Ross’ hometown of Miami.
He’s disenchanted by what people in town have to say about what he’s trying to do, but he’s certain that the show will bring the masses – which will improve the odds of making a difference.
“You give me all of the people who have something negative to say about Rick Ross and Wacka Flocka and this show,” Slim said. “I’ll put their faces on a flyer and promote them at the Chaifetz to come and talk about stopping the violence and bringing peace to our city. I’ll spend the exact same amount of money to promote them coming to the Chaifetz – and let’s see how many of the young people who actually need to hear the message will show up.”
He has a point.”
If we have 5,000 people in there, and after we finish talking two of the little dudes say, ‘I don’t wanna be in a gang no more’ or ‘I’mma stop shooting at people,’ then we won.”
Loose Cannon Ent.’s State of Emergency Concert Starring Rick Ross and Wacka Flocka with special guests Trina and Lloyd will take place 7 p.m., Monday, January 17 at the Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.
