Here’s an article from our sister print publication in Monterey, where numerous BandsOfTheBay.com bands are scheduled to play later this month. We will find out the fate of the festival on Tuesday.
Controversy concerning rapper Snoop Dogg as the scheduled headliner of the upcoming Monterey Music Summit reportedly has the event in jeopardy of being canceled. Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, has apparently been a sticking point in contract negotiations between Monterey County and the promoter of the three-day music festival to be held the last weekend of May at Laguna Seca Recreation Area.
Though he was reluctant to speak about the negotiations, concert promoter Joe Fletcher said Wednesday that he was told two weeks ago that the Board of Supervisors could keep the event from taking place “if Snoop was on the bill.”
“I was kind of taken aback by it,” said Fletcher. “I’ve never once had somebody try to tell us what acts we can have in a show.”
Fletcher said he was told by the Monterey County Parks Department, which manages Laguna Seca Recreation Area, that there were concerns over having Snoop Dogg perform because of recent gang violence in Salinas.
John Pinio, director of the Parks Department and the one who normally approves event contracts, could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
However, Lavonne Chin, the department’s special events manager, said, “It’s our policy to normally not comment on negotiations.”
Chin said she was not aware if the department had voiced concerns regarding the appearance of Snoop Dogg to Fletcher.
If a contract with Fletcher is approved, Chin said, it could be “any day now.”
County spokeswoman Maia Carroll said that while she does not know the specifics of negotiations taking place with Fletcher, the artist lineup is among many things open to discussion during the negotiation process.
Following the visit of Pope John Paul II to Laguna Seca in 1987, Chin said, procedures for regulating aspects of events, such as crowd control, were put in place.
For each planned event, she said, there are pre- and post-planning meetings where a number of county agencies, including law enforcement, can voice concerns.
“It’s not our goal to censor a promoter,” Chin said. “Everybody gets to have their say.”
The only other similar music event that takes place at Laguna Seca is Spirit West Coast, a Christian music festival.
Fletcher, who has promoted shows nationally and internationally for more than 25 years, said linking the music of Snoop Dogg to crime in Salinas is unfounded.
“We are sensitive to the fact that there has been violence and that’s no joke,” he said, adding, “We didn’t think Snoop Dogg had any connection to the violence or Latino gangs in Salinas. We never saw it.”
Fletcher said that when he hosted the inaugural Music Summit in October at the Monterey Fairgrounds, there were no concerns raised over the performances headlined by The Roots.
“We had no complaints,” he said.
Other featured acts slated for this year are Ozomatli, Coheed and Cambria, Slightly Stoopid and The Crystal Method.
While run-ins with the law early in his music career — which started nearly 15 years ago with rap producer Dr. Dre at his side — earned him fame as a gangsta rapper, Snoop Dogg has become a household name.
Over the years, the lyrics of Snoop Dogg have become more romantic, said Fletcher, and the rapper-turned-actor has established himself in mainstream entertainment.
On the E! Network, he is the star of his own reality series, “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood,” and this month he’s scheduled to appear in the daytime soap opera “One Life to Live,” where he will reportedly perform two songs from his latest album.
Fletcher said Snoop Dogg was informed of the concerns raised over his presence at the Music Summit and reacted by pointing out he has spoken out against gangs and has strived to get kids involved in sports and the arts.
“He’ll do whatever he can to use his music for the greater good,” said Fletcher. “Many people who grew up in the inner city had friends who were tough or they got caught up in gangs, and Snoop grew up in L.A. He’s worked for the last 15 years to keep kids out of that.”
In order to allow the show to go on as planned and to address any concerns, Fletcher said he hopes an agreement can be reached with the county. That agreement, he said, may involve donating some of the proceeds from the show to the county law enforcement’s Joint Gang Task Force, having community organizations promote their anti-gang message at the concert, or possibly having Snoop Dogg do a public service announcement.
“If we can turn this around and keep kids away from gangs, we want to do whatever we can to help that,” said Fletcher.
Daniel Lopez can be reached at dlopez@montereyherald.com.