Rick Ross was supposed to take his Maybach Music Group tour through North Carolina this weekend, but a pair of performances in Greensboro and Charlotte have been cancelled, allegedly over death threats the rapper recently received from the Gangster Disciples gang.
The plug was apparently pulled on the performances because of a video that surfaced last week from the North Carolina branch of the organized crime unit. In it, a troupe of gang affiliates stand in face-obscuring bandanas, explaining how the rapper had been representing them in a "dishonorable fashion" and "tryin' to play with our intelligence."
The threats continue in the vid, with the troupe insisting that they would be back stage at both North Carolina shows, so there will be no "duckin'" from the confrontation. Then, a song targeting the Bawse plays in the background, which has the gang boasting that they're "MBK" (aka Maybach killer). The message "We will not be exploited in any way shape form or fashion" splays across the screen.
Similar beef vids have been created by GDs chapters in Alabama, Tennessee and Florida.
Reports claim that the gang's beef with the Bawse stems from a reference to imprisoned Gangster Disciple leader Larry Hoover on the 2010 track "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and the Star of David-displaying artwork for the rapper's recent Black Bar Mitzvah mixtape — the gang uses a similar logo.
While it hasn't been confirmed that the concerts were cut due to the threats, some have expressed that the threats of violence are very real and should be taken seriously.
"I think fans should be concerned. I think the parents should be concerned because you never know," Durham-area minister/journalist Paul Scott told the Charlotte Observer, hinting at the seriousness of the threats. "No one took the Tupac-Notorious B.I.G. beef seriously until they were both dead."
The cancelled appearances were also to feature Maybach signees Wale, Meek Mill and Machine Gun Kelly.
UPDATE: Via AllHipHop, Ross' team said the tour was cut short due to "apparent lack of organization and communication on the part of the tour promoter." The trek was to go until December 16, but all remaining dates have been axed. Ross himself said, "I want to apologize to all of my fans who I missed performing for due to the cancellations and want to let them know that I will get back to their cities. I enjoyed my experience with my little bros Wale and Meek Mill and I'm ready to get back in the studio to make good music."
The plug was apparently pulled on the performances because of a video that surfaced last week from the North Carolina branch of the organized crime unit. In it, a troupe of gang affiliates stand in face-obscuring bandanas, explaining how the rapper had been representing them in a "dishonorable fashion" and "tryin' to play with our intelligence."
The threats continue in the vid, with the troupe insisting that they would be back stage at both North Carolina shows, so there will be no "duckin'" from the confrontation. Then, a song targeting the Bawse plays in the background, which has the gang boasting that they're "MBK" (aka Maybach killer). The message "We will not be exploited in any way shape form or fashion" splays across the screen.
Similar beef vids have been created by GDs chapters in Alabama, Tennessee and Florida.
Reports claim that the gang's beef with the Bawse stems from a reference to imprisoned Gangster Disciple leader Larry Hoover on the 2010 track "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and the Star of David-displaying artwork for the rapper's recent Black Bar Mitzvah mixtape — the gang uses a similar logo.
While it hasn't been confirmed that the concerts were cut due to the threats, some have expressed that the threats of violence are very real and should be taken seriously.
"I think fans should be concerned. I think the parents should be concerned because you never know," Durham-area minister/journalist Paul Scott told the Charlotte Observer, hinting at the seriousness of the threats. "No one took the Tupac-Notorious B.I.G. beef seriously until they were both dead."
The cancelled appearances were also to feature Maybach signees Wale, Meek Mill and Machine Gun Kelly.
UPDATE: Via AllHipHop, Ross' team said the tour was cut short due to "apparent lack of organization and communication on the part of the tour promoter." The trek was to go until December 16, but all remaining dates have been axed. Ross himself said, "I want to apologize to all of my fans who I missed performing for due to the cancellations and want to let them know that I will get back to their cities. I enjoyed my experience with my little bros Wale and Meek Mill and I'm ready to get back in the studio to make good music."
