SOURCE AWARDS TO AIR ON UPN AFTER ALL
The annual awards program will be shown Aug. 29, as planned, according to a statement from the UPN network.
Police canceled the taping of the show after several fights broke out backstage, on stage and in the hall of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where the event was being held.
Suspicious that hitsdailydouble.com staffers attending the show may have caused the melee, we questioned them about the events that took place.
The atmosphere was described as "riddled with tension," but it didn't fully erupt until just past the mid-point of the show when, according to our staffers, Bay Area artist Mack Minister picked a fight with Sic Wid It artist E-40. Minister worked with E-40 several years ago but speculators speculate that Minister had developed a beef with his one-time friend. A hitsdailydouble.com staffer told us that the fight, involving E-40s entourage, broke out in the mid-section of the auditorium.
"Suddenly, everyone backed away. Everyone was everywhere, just watching these people fight. People were freaked out in the auditorium. Everyone cleared the area watching from the sides and the stage for a while before the cops even came in," our staffer said. "People were running scared."
Shortly thereafter, the Pasadena Police announced the show would not continue and asked the audience to leave.
While frightened attendees were quickly leaving the venue, another staffer hid out backstage with audience members, artists and other celebrities. He was outside when an earlier incident happened in front of the auditorium before the show began taping involving Arista artist DJ Quik, born David Blake. Apparently, around 5:00 p.m., while Quik was being interviewed on the red carpet, someone from his camp got into a fight. The rapper then stepped in to break it up as police officers also worked to clear the fight. When Quik attempted to enter the auditorium, he was stopped by police who wanted to detain the man involved in the fight. Quik was held for just a moment and then released to attend the show.
The same scaredy-cat wuss staffer hiding backstage added that there was also some hostility backstage between Death Row reps and rapper Snoop Dogg. However, Snoop was heavily guarded and was stealthily escorted from the scene before an altercation broke out.
Other news outlets quote witnesses as saying that several multi-Platinum artists, including Havoc of Mobb Deep and Krayzie Bone of Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, were beaten up in fracases.
"They beat down Mo' Thugs, beat [them] up pretty bad," one witness told Allstarmag.com. "Krayzie Bone was busted up pretty bad. He wasn't getting any help. The whole Mo' Thugs, they wasn't [sic] getting any help. Their bodyguards weren't there."
Several more fights broke out, including one on stage that allegedly involved members representing Death Row Records, according to witnesses.
No arrests were made Tuesday night, but police were investigating an assault report filed Wednesday, Pasadena Police Dept. spokeswoman Janet Pope said.
"A lot of people were detained and questioned, but we did not make any arrests," she said. "And keep in mind that in order to arrest someone you have to have a victim. Nobody claimed they were the victim."
A spokeswoman for UPN said five of the 10 awards were presented before the show was halted, and producers planned to tape the remaining presentations sometime this week.
"To a viewer it will look seamless," said Patti McTeague, VP, Media Relations at UPN. "It will appear as if it will all be from the same performance. This wouldn't be the first time we deceived our viewers. Anyone remember ‘Shasta McNasty?'"
Aside from the violent interruptions, Dr. Dre captured the most trophies at the event. He won Best Solo Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Producer Of The Year (with Mel-Man) and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Dre was also featured in the Music Video of the Year winner, Eminem's "Guilty Conscience." Other winners were:
Artist Of The Year, Group Hot Boys
Single Of The Year "Whoa!" Black Rob
New Artist Of The Year, Solo Eve
New Artist Of The Year, Group Tha Eastsidaz
Lyricist Of The Year Eminem
Live Performer Of The Year Method Mad & Redman
R&B Artist Of The Year Sisqo
Lifetime Achievement Award Dr. Dre and Ice Cube
Pioneer Award Grand Wizzard Theodore
UPN insiders said the publicity generated by the melee at the event should provide the struggling net with a much-needed ratings boost. "We hear CBS is planning to stage a fight between Shania Twain and Faith Hill for its Grammy telecast," a source revealed. "If that doesn't work, they can always ask RIAA chief hilary rosen',390,400);">hilary rosen',390,400);">Hilary Rosen to interrupt Recording Academy honcho Michael Greene during his traditional on-air speech. That would surely start a war."
Additional reporting by Kenya Yarbrough.
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