stirs supporters

OO4 I IOIST YEAR, NO.
2004
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I77 I O2OO4 THE MIAMI HERALD I FINAL I 35 CENTS
I eerumEmATffi VnSf TS Sffitjy$"{ FL*ffi$SA
HERALD EXCLUSIVE
stirs supporters Police
secletly
watching
hiF-hop
attists
W
As hip-hop celebrities and their
associates make South Florida their
home and playground, Miamiand Miami
Beach police are quietly behind the
scenes watching what they do.
BY NICOTE WHITE
AND EVEIYI{ ITIcDONNELL
[email protected]
Miami and Miami Beach police are
I'IARSHA HAIPEn/HERAID STAFF
'1clune, holding 14-month-old son, Michael, expresses her excitement
. John Kerry at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Hollywood.
ida
rhn
talk
battle
h
ity. He
ARK
O
elec-
rrt ulti-
Demo: John
uilding
put George W. Bush in the White
House.
'
Kerrlr made his remarks to a crowd
r
in Broward County, a central battleground in the 2000 recount, respond-
ing to a woman who asked what
would keep the Republicans from
"5fseling the election again.',
- Speaking on the eve of today's Florida presidential primary, Kerry prom-
ised a strategy that could include
"pre-challenges" and injunctions
"where necessary" to avoid a repeat of
2000 in November.
r-oting
rte
tlat
'
.TURN TO
PRIMARY,2A
TODAYS PRIMARIE-S
o FLORIDA POLLS:
Registered Democrats
may vote in today's
Florida Democratic
primary. At stake: 177 ' ,''
delegates to the
Democratic National
Convention.
o OTHER PRIMARIES:
Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas hold primaries I . i
today. Delegates at stake:
Texas (195), Louisiana
(8O), Mississippi (33).
secretly watching and keep-
ing dossiers on hip-hop
celebrities like P. Diddy and
DMX and their entourages
when they come to South
Florida, a move police sayis
to protect the stars and the
public.
Officers say they have
photographed rappers as
they arrived at Miami International Airport. They stake
out hotels, nightclubs and
video shoots. They consult
a six-inch-thick
black
binder of every rapper and
member of his or her group
with an arrest record in the
state of New York. The
binder begins with a photo RAP FEUD
and rap sheet of Gramny- 50 Cent,
nominated rapper 50 Cent. above,
It ends with !a Rule. Both Rule areand Ja
men are embroiled in one of embroiled
in
the most bitter feuds in the
one of hiphip-hop industry, one that hop's most
/1
.
.
tKenlng: (jas prtces rising
-l
.
Eminem, 50 Cent's pro- bitter feuds.
ducer, has waraed in the
song .&rtry qdd le-.i to blsodsbd-
Thmlfoiryfttcq3'd
**tur-
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j
:::iJ
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r--.!r.
:1_titl
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i
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+li.-:_!.4.:--..
secleily
watching
hiF-hop
artists
':.i;
.;4i
i'l
ffi As hip-hop celebrities and
their
associates make South Florida their
home and playground, Miamiand Miami
Beach police are quietly behind the
scenes watching what they do.
BY I{ICOIE WHITE
Al{D EVETYN MCDONNEII
[email protected]
Miami and Miami Beach police are
ilANSHA HATPER/HERAIII
STAFF
clune, holding l4-month-old son, Michael, expresses her excitement
John Kerry at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Hollywood.
put George W. Bush in the White
TODAY'S PRIMARIES
hn
House,
rtalk
baftle
in Broward County, a central battle-
o FLORIDA POLLS:
Registered Democrats
may vote in today's
da
ty. He
[RK
) elec-
rt ultiDemo-
fohn
rilding
voting
fe that
Kerry mads his remarks to a crowd
ground in the 2000 recount, respond-
ing to a womari who asked what
would keep the Republicans from
"stealing the election again."
Speakingonthe eve of today's Florida presidential primary, Kerry prom-
ised a strategy that could include
"pre-challenges" and iniunctions
"where necessary" to avoid a repeat of
2000 in November.
"TURN TO PRIiIARY, 2A
Florida Democratic
primary. At stake:177
delegates to the
Democratic National
Convention.
o OTHER PRIMARIES:
Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas hold primaries
today. Delegates at stake:
Texas (195), Louisiana ' (8O), Mississippi (33).
secretly watching and keep-
ing dossiers on hip-hop
celebrities like P. Diddy and
DMX and their entourages
when they come to South
Florida a move police sayis
to protect the stars and the
public.
Officers say they have
photographed rappers as
they arrived at Miami International Airport. They stake
out hotels, nightclubs and
video shoots. They consult
a six-inch-thick
black
binder of every rapper and
member of his or her group
with an arrest record in the r;
state of New York. The
binder begins with a photo RAP FEUD
and rap sheet of Grammy- 50 Cent,
nominated rapper 50 Cent.
It ends with Ja Rule. Both
men are embroiled in one of
the most bitter feuds in the
hip-hop industry, one that
ftening: Gas prices rising
tions' prices lie just short of last
March's record levels.
rls.
ami
luy,
sta-
Regular gasoline now costs
more than $1.76 a gallon in South
Florida, according to the AAA.
Some stations are charging more
than $2 a gallon fpr premium.
But not at the Race Trac station
at Hallandale Beach Boulevard and
Interstate
95.
"'We're out of regular," swing
manager Keith feffries said. "We
lowered the price of 'plus' to the
regular price"
$l.Z a gallonPrices have-been energized. by
above, and Ja
Rule are
embroiled in
one of hip-
hop's most
Eminem, 50 Cent's pro- bitter feuds.
ducer, has warned in the
song Bully could lead to bloodshed.
The policing effort of top entertainers
which hip-hop experts criticize as unnecessary stereotyping
- was created, police say
to protect the public and musical celebrities
who have chosen to make South Florida
their destination to live and party.
"We have to keep an eye on these rivalries," said Assistant Miami Beach Police
.TURN TOGASPRICES,2A
*The last thing we need
Chief Charles Press.
nCOI'ISUMER SURVEY: U.S. CARS [{ORE
RELIABLE THAN EUROPEAI{ VEHICLES, IC
.TURN TOHIP-HOP, I9A
IL
-t-
HERALD EXCLUSIVE I Fffi#M TS{ffi PffiffiNT PAffiffi
Police track, keep files
on hip-hop celebrities
:!:' :
'::.
ii' ;i:;:ii;i,.'
&t -'
',ii,:t
Miami Detective Peter Rosario, a member of the department's gang detail, says police
photograph rappers with their entourages to figure out who's close to the artists.
I{ON|TORING ACTIVITIES:
'HIP-HOP, FROIi'l
sion" in May. Officers from
other major cities like Los
lA
in this city is violence."
Government agencies
keeping tabs on musicians is
not new. The Nixon adminis-
rration investigated former
Beatle fohn Lennon in the
1970s and tried to have him
deported. The band Body
Count led by rapper Ice-T
got the attention of police
nationally in the early 1990s
w'rth the song Cop Killer. But
lhose cases involved individual artists or groups, not
q.rncc q
RECENT STAYINGS
The police say high-profile murders, such as
those listed below, and
l,ivalrids have'led to the
probe:of hip-hop stars.
r,September 1996:
Tu'pae Shakur ls fatally
shot in Las Vegas.
e March 1997: Notorious
B,l.G. is killed in Los Angeles.
o September20Ol:Popular 99.1 Jamz DJ Ulcle Al
lf1jbgf
Lerov Mo1?
is'
'
Angeles and Atlanta attended
the event.
New York police officials
denied having a hip-hop task
force when asked recentlv bv
The Herald.
.WHAT TO LOOK FOR'
"Everybody that went got
a binder
with hformation on
rappers that have been
arrested, outlining charges,"
Tapanes said. "They were
trained on what to look for in
BUSTA RHYMES
in this city is violence.:'
Government agencies
rriiRs€.s
ir':g,:f-.r!,p1+.ofile muideii, such as
keeping tabs on musicians is
not new. The Nixon adminis-
tration investigated former
Beatle ]ohn Lennon in the
1970s and tried to have him
deported. The band Body
Count led by rapper Ice-T
got the attention of police
nationally in the early 1990s
with the song CopKiller. But
those cases involved individual artists or groups, not
Tonitoring across a musical
genre.
"There's been no shortage
of rock stars and other musicians" scrutinized by police,
said Anthony DeCurtis, con-
tributing editor at Rolling
Stone magazine. "But there
has never been anything
like
this."
Several music executives
and legal scholars say the
intelligence-gathering highlights the misunderstanding
between the police and a $10-
$ ifiltr$$ii
New York police officials
denied having a hip-hop task
force when asked recently by
The Herald.
o Septeqrbertgg€:.
.WHAT TO LOOK FOR'
"Everybody that went got
a binder with information on
rappers that have been
arrested, outlining charges,"
Tapanes said. "They were
trained on what to look for in
Stakur is fatally
shot in Lbs Vegas.
{3Tclr.Le!7: Notorious
^.
BJG is killed in,Los Ange-
l3';*i-ioo,2ooJ:
'
pop:
ular:99;l Jarniro.t Uncle At
(Albert Leroy
MosS> is
.
January 2OO2: Jason
f,,lorr!s, a Miami Beach hiphop promoter, is shot to
death in his car.
r July X)O2; RUn DMC'i
.
Jam Master Jay
kilted
i
DMC's |am Master fay, to
iustify tracking many in the
industry.
Bernard Harris,
the head of Miami-basedl
XELA recordi, ia fataily l
shotatabaibershopl '
could prompl hip-hop artists
to stay away. South Florida is
a choice spot for stars to live,
celebrate and film music videos, an enterprise that pumps
millions of dollars into the
"Some people see gangs
and hip-hop artists as being
synonymous," said Benjamin
Chavis, president and chief
executive officer of The Hip-
dissuade them from coming,
t}rat would not be good news
for us," Peel said.
work, a government-watchdog and voter-registration
say they welcome the musicians, but some rappers and
Hop Summit Action Netgroup. "That's a mistake. The
recording industry is a legiti-
mate American enterprise,
not a gang."
Said attorney
Bruce
Rogow: "This kind of conduct shows insensitivity to
constitutional limitations. It
also implicates racial stereo-
typing." Rogow successfully
represented 2 Live Crew
when the rap group was
prosecuted for obscenity in
the early'90s.
PART OF POLICE WORK
Press says it's good police
work that has nothing to do
with stereotyping a culture
or musical genre: "What
would law enforcement be if
we closed our eyes. Our job
is to know as much about
things that could hurt inno-
cent people."
local economy.
"If
something's going to
Press and other officers
their groups have
had
brushes with the law, police
said. Miami Detective Peter
Rosario said the practice of
photographing rappers with
their entourages shows
who's in their circle.
"A lot if not most rappers
TV stations to monitor'to
keep abreast of any rift
some 250,000 hip-hop fans
flocked to South Beach for
four days ofparties hosted by
their favgrrite rappers. Beach
police made 2ll arrests, double the usual number of a
regular weekend, most for
disorderly conduct
and,
intoxication-
No major rap artist was
arrested, but police felt com-
pelled to figure out every
nuance ofthe hip-hop culture
that had spawned such a following, said Press.
"Nobody on the Beach had
a handle on who the players
'were," Press said. "We didn't
know anything, we didn't
know who were the big
record labels, who were the
kingpins; we didn't know
related to other music events,
of their arrests and associare
tracked in the black binder,
from minor artists like Black
Rob to major figures like
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs,
Iay-Z, Nas and
NAS
P. DIDDY
Press said local intelli-
ates."
Miami police Sgt. Rafael
of rappers
JAY-Z
gence gathering on rap artists
Tapanes said. "We keep track
belong to some sort of gang,"
Dozens
Et'fl1{El't
between these rappers."
why there were rivalries with
Ja Rule and Eminem."
Months later, Police Chief
Donald Delucca sent detectives to New York.
"It was paramount for us
to understand because we
know this is now their destination of choice," said Press,
emFhasizing that the depart-
Busta
Rhymes.
Publicists for fa Rule, 50
Cent, Eminem, lay-Z and p.
Diddy refused to comment
for this story.
Tapanes said the New
Jeff Peel., director of
York Police Department gave
and Entertainnent, said he's
worried about a policy that
enforcement during a three-
Miami-Dade;s Office of Film
when they go to hip-hop concerts, what radio stations and
started after the Memorial
Day 2001 weekend, when
ffih::';';il;1
exandei
Af
BUSTA RHYI{ES
the lyrics, what to look for
[,Jft"r],1:Ir"rtl
billion industry. The police,
they contend, have used the
slayings of high-profile artists like Tupac Shakur, the
Notorious B.I.G. and Run
Angeles and Atlanta attended
the event.
those liste-d belo*,
'
iivairies have'led to "nd
thprobe:of hip:tbp rt"*.
: TUpac
'
slon" rn May. Ofticers tiom
other major cities like Los
ment monitors activities
there have been multiple
attempts on his life."
The very notion that the
Beach needed to send police
to figure out the hip-hop culture is laughable, says Papa
Keith, a Df on 103.5 Tha Beat.
"If they're saying they're
trying to learn about hip-hop,
then hire more brothers and
put them in the ranks and let
them help you in that
respect," Keith said. "Why do
you need to send a bunch of
cops to New York?"
Of the Beach's 97 officers
in supervisory jobs, only one
isblack Of Miami's 226ru*ing officers, 26 are black.
Chavis, head of the HSAN,
suggests sensitivity training
for police departments.
Press says the fact that
South Florida remains a destination for hip-hop artists
and its fans proves that the
police have not been heavy-
including Spring Break festivities and this week's Winter Music Conference.
Besides the information
they get from other police
contacts, officers say they
depend on hotel and nightclub workers and off-duty
police of{icers on security
details to keep them
informed on the celebrities
and their followers.
"If we know 50 Cent is
those kinds of problems. The
alert," Press said. "W'e know
something else."
handed.
Luther Campbell, the former 2 Live Crew rapper, said
any intelligence gathering is
unnecessary because rappers
only come to South Florida to
enioy the weather and party.
"If they had problems like
rappers coming down here
and fighting, yeah you got to
serve and protect," Campbell
said. "But you don't have
the binder to local law coming to town then of cities should take taxpayer
course we have to be on dollars and put them toward
day "hip-hop training ses-