More from the Times:
Stanley Davis, a manager for Sha Ek who is known as Noodles, said in a statement that his client had not been charged with any crime that could justify his ban. “The police try to associate what he’s doing with violence and negativity,” he wrote. “They don’t respect that he’s an artist and entertainer trying to better himself and feed his family at 19 years old.”
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Diamond Brown, a manager for Ron Suno who goes by Bo, said via text message: “How can a person who has no criminal record and no gang ties — the kid never even made a diss record — be denied to perform in his hometown after all his hard work?”
22Gz is currently out on bond after being charged with attempted murder in June. A spokesperson for Atlantic Records, his label, confirmed his removal from the lineup to the Times but made no further comment.
The last minute lineup changes come after five artists were dropped in 2019 at the last minute, also at the request of the NYPD. "If we want RL to return to NYC, we have no choice but to comply," festival founder and owner Tariq Cherif wrote on Twitter at the time.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been outspoken against drill music, calling it "alarming" and calling for its removal from social media. After making the controversial comments, he spoke with a group of NYC rappers in February.
