Hip hop artist won’t perform near KC, canceling tour and citing ICE concerns
A concert venue in Lawrence announced on social media Wednesday that a hip hop artist canceled its tour amid “growing concerns about ICE raids across the country.”
The Bottleneck posted on Facebook a photo from King Lil G announcing the cancellation of his Blue Hundreds Tour featuring Young Drummer Boy.
The 38-year-old hip hop artist from Mexico City was slated to perform at The Bottleneck, an independent live music venue, on Aug. 5.
“Due to increasing concerns about ICE raids across the country, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this tour,” King Lil G said in an Instagram post. “We sincerely apologize to everyone affected. The safety and well being of our fans is our top priority.”
The post went on to say all tickets will be refunded.
Lawrence was a smaller city included on a long list of tour dates for King Lil G this year. The college town 40 minutes from Kansas City was included among the larger cities of Dallas, Phoenix and New York.
“Please stay safe out there and we hope to have new touring updates for everyone soon,” King Lil G’s post said.
Many Kansas City area residents have been objecting to the current immigration policies. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Kansas City’s West Side and downtown June 10 as a part of a “Shut down ICE KC” protest. Those attending were urged to “demand an end to ICE raids and detentions,” according to a flyer promoting the event.
Leavenworth, a 45-minute drive from Lawrence, is home to one of five federal prisons designated to hold ICE detainees under a February agreement obtained by The Star.
Caroline Zimmerman and Matthew Kelly contributed.
