From Stockton rapper and promoter Mackalot: The Third Annual Hip-Hop Awards won't be held at the Stockton Rod and Gun Club because of a disagreement with venue management. Instead, the show will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Podesto IMPACT Teen Center.
From the editor: Whenever I write about Mackalot - as I did today - I know I'm going to hear from the haters. An email that I received a few hours ago reflects what they typically say (I kept the original spelling and grammar):
"Mackalot or should i say mack a not is so over inflated. He thinks someone is hating on him, when in fact people could care less. He is so backwards why would you host an awards show at a gun club?? The hip hop industry has a bad rap for keeping up violence wherever they are, and he thinks it's a good idea to be at a gun club. What is he thinking? A rapper he is not, a business man he surely is not. Business people do things the right way, getting all the neccessary permits.
"I felt the story on mackalot was useless. If everyone who ever thought someone was hating on them was offered some print space there wouldnt be any room for real news. No one wants to know about his personal problems, which he created on his own anyway.How is that news? If you had just did a story on the event and perhaps why the venue had changed that would have been very informative.
"Tell Mack A Not to stop his whining, get a job, and by the way grab a life at the same time."
The statement "If everyone who ever thought someone was hating on them was offered some print space there wouldnt be any room for real news" is certainly a sad commentary on society. But as for the rest of the email, and the haters who echo it, they always miss the point.
I don't write about Mackalot because I agree with everything he says, or because I think he's a phenomenal rapper, or because I believe he's the king.
Mackalot gets covered because he's actually doing something.
Too many local rappers and others in the 209 rap scene like to sit back, smoke blunts and complain about the lack of attention they receive. They think they deserve stardom because they can upload songs to MySpace.
They don't understand that they'll never end up on BET, go viral or even appear in The Record or The Mod Bee unless they action to promote themselves and the scene.
Fortunately, some in the 209 have been working to bring attention to the area's talented artists. N-Sane, Ren, Carlos Talamantes, Radio, Beathoven, Hallway Productionz and Darcel Jackson all deserve credit for what they've done for local hip-hop and rap fans. They've helped the scene thrive.
Mackalot also belongs on that list for what he's done to organize the hip-hop awards, no matter what the haters think.
HERES THE STORY WROTE IN "THE RECORD" NEWSPAPER
You might hate him for his style, ego or claims of royalty, but you’ve still got to hand it to Mackalot. Few local musicians in any genre have taken as much heat and struggled as hard to organize events in recent years.
Yet the Stockton rapper and promoter refuses to give up.
“They’re trying to stop me. I can’t let them do it,” said Mackalot, 26, born Jonathan Davis. “The more people that try and stop me, that makes me want to do it.”
His latest struggle involved finding a home for the 209 Hip-Hop Awards, which he founded three years ago. The awards are set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Podesto IMPACT Teen Center, 725 N. El Dorado St., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $6 in advance and available at the X Spot, 939 Bianchi Road, and J Teez, 1101 March Lane. Admission at the door is $11. For more information, check out
www.myspace.com/209hiphopawards.
The event was moved Wednesday from the Van Buskirk Community Center after Mackalot couldn’t obtain city approval. Like many promoters before him, Mackalot said he received little help from officials in navigating the permit process.
In March 2007, the City Council approved a new special events permit designed in part to help reduce confusion. However, officials have yet to create the brochure that they promised would explain the application and approval process.
Mackalot added that he’s lost money on the first two awards shows. He’s also been criticized by some local hip-hop fans and rappers for his decision to nominate himself in the past and his claim that he’s the “King of Stockton.”
But Mackalot continues to throw the only event that honors the city’s thriving underground rap scene.
“A lot of the people who are on here, who are actually up for awards, have hated on me,” he said. “How can you hate on someone who’s helping you?”
A total of 87 artists and members of the local urban music scene are nominated in a total of 15 categories, including best group and DJ, pioneer of da year and best mixtape song. (209Vibe is nominated in the best local supporter category.)
Nominees in the best male rapper category are Tragic, Mondo, P-Boi, Sosa, L-Capone and Smoke1, while the best female rapper category includes Playgyrl Slim, Lil B, V.I. Peach, Kaylove, London and Diz-E. Mackalot said he eliminated himself from contention this year to avoid controversy.
Winners are selected in voting by fans and nominees, who aren’t allowed to vote for themselves. Mackalot said he hopes the show encourages rappers to develop their talent.
“If you win an award, that motivates you to keep going,” he said. “We don’t have any other awards out here. That is motivation right there.”
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