A hip-hop concert that was planned for November 7th at Detroit’s Masonic Temple has been canceled by promoters due to the venue’s new vaccine mandate.

Promoters 2D Productions & Entertainment and Big Step Entertainment organized the show, which was supposed to feature Rakim, KRS‐One, and Slick Rick. Chubb Rock and JJ Fad were also on the bill as special guests.

But on October 1st, the operating company AEG Presents implemented vaccine mandates for all its venues, clubs, and theaters throughout the country.

“Our hope is that our pro-active stance encourages people to do the right thing and get vaccinated,” said COO of AEG Jay Marciano. “I think everyone can agree that we don’t want concerts to go away again, and this is the best way to keep that from happening.”

But instead of complying with the venue’s mandates, promoters decided to cancel the show and moved it to another venue on a different date. In an email, Derrick Kearney, a spokesperson for 2D, said they have received hundreds of text messages and voicemails from fans expressing their frustrations with having to be vaccinated to see the show.

He also stated that the majority of concert-goers in that hip-hop demographic aren’t vaccinated, but there is no data to suggest that this is true.

On the contrary, the data suggests a different story. According to the CDC, race/ethnicity was known for 62% of people who had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among those who have received one dose, nearly two-thirds were White (60%), 11% were Black, 17% were Hispanic, 6% were Asian, 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native.

The report revealed that the share of Black people vaccinated is almost the same as the black population’s share of the total US. population– 12%.

As more companies turn to vaccine mandates to ensure their businesses aren’t shut down again, hip-hop fans and their promoters must make a choice. Do they follow vaccine mandates and enjoy successful shows, or not. Regardless, using nonexistent data among rap fans to justify why people can’t enjoy a great show isn’t the right way to go about it.

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