New York ‘Hip-Hop Cops’ Target 2 Chainz

New York’s infamous “Hip-Hop Cops” have struck again, effectively shutting down an industry listening party for 2 Chainz.

The Atlanta rapper had invited a host of top music writers from outlets including Billboard and BET, record execs and friends including Fabolous to a swanky listening party for his new album,
“Pretty Girls Like Trap Music,” at a Soho gallery on Wednesday night.

But before the doors opened at 7:30 p.m., police were parked outside, ready to swoop in. Just 15 minutes later, the NYPD, a fire marshal and a rep from the Department of Buildings shut the doors with the venue a quarter full. 2 Chainz wasn’t even allowed inside, he spent 45 minutes desperately pleading with cops, who said he didn’t have a permit for the party.

The “Hip-Hop Cops” are said to be a small unit of officers that monitors events to curtail violence in the hip-hop world.

“The police seemed to get joy out of shutting down this event for one of the hottest hip-hop artists.

There were 200 industry people invited to the party, but they shut the doors once 74 were inside. Police threatened those in line with a summons if they did not vacate the area. 2 Chainz arrived with an entourage of 20, and they wouldn’t let them in. He waited outside for 45 minutes and tried to reason with the cops and the DOB to let his guests inside. He wasn’t screaming and yelling — he was disappointed.”

2 Chainz got inside as the event was due to end, and he got on the mike and apologized to the few people there. He tweeted, “Fire marshall shut down my listening!!! sorry to all my fans & supporters who got turned away. I will make up for it.”

A DOB rep said 2 Chainz did not have a Temporary Place of Assembly certificate, which is required for events with more than 74 people. “DOB did not shut down the event. [We] informed the event promoters that they could continue with the event as long as the occupancy did not exceed 74 people. The promoters decided to cancel the event on their own instead of comply[ing] with the occupancy limit.”

The NYPD said, “Enforcement at the location was conducted by the Department of Buildings.”

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