Iconic gangsta rap crew N.W.A. were banned from performing their equally iconic protest song "Fuck tha Police" on their first major tour in 1989, with police forces taking exception to the song's anti-authority lyrical content. Not learning from that bit of history in the slightest, a Massachusetts DJ has found out what happens if one should play the song around officers of the law, according to a report from MassLive.
On October 17 of last year, DJ Boogy (born Kashawn Harris) allegedly played the 1988 Straight Outta Compton cut while local police were clearing out an over-capacity crowd at a local pub. An officer who was trying to shut the music off to clear the crowd promptly wrote Harris a court summons for disorderly conduct.
"I believed at that time the combination of alcohol, the excessive amount of people in the bar and the song that the DJ chose to play at that time was an intentional act by the DJ to incite the crowd which showed a reckless disregard for public safety," officer Juanita Mejias wrote in a report on the incident.
The bar reportedly had 350 people in it, well over its 160-person cap.
Harris said he had no intention of starting a riot, and that he already had the song cued up before police arrived. When he received a court summons one month later, he realized he was being prosecuted.
"For them to even think I was trying to start riots was frustrating for me," said Harris, who typically performs at weddings and college events. "That's not my kind of background, that's not where I come from."
The court found Harris responsible for disorderly conduct and ordered him to pay a $50 fine.
On October 17 of last year, DJ Boogy (born Kashawn Harris) allegedly played the 1988 Straight Outta Compton cut while local police were clearing out an over-capacity crowd at a local pub. An officer who was trying to shut the music off to clear the crowd promptly wrote Harris a court summons for disorderly conduct.
"I believed at that time the combination of alcohol, the excessive amount of people in the bar and the song that the DJ chose to play at that time was an intentional act by the DJ to incite the crowd which showed a reckless disregard for public safety," officer Juanita Mejias wrote in a report on the incident.
The bar reportedly had 350 people in it, well over its 160-person cap.
Harris said he had no intention of starting a riot, and that he already had the song cued up before police arrived. When he received a court summons one month later, he realized he was being prosecuted.
"For them to even think I was trying to start riots was frustrating for me," said Harris, who typically performs at weddings and college events. "That's not my kind of background, that's not where I come from."
The court found Harris responsible for disorderly conduct and ordered him to pay a $50 fine.
