Ice-T Responds To Prison Concert Controversy

07/28/2000 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(7/28/00, 6 p.m. ET) - Ice-T doesn't understand the outrage some Nevada corrections officials feel over about his recent concert with the Dramatics at the Southern Correctional Center. "We have performed at various penitentiaries including San Quentin, juvenile facilities, and universities including Harvard, so I don't see what the problem is," the rapper-actor said in statement.

Officials have reportedly been upset about his July 23 concert at a medium-security prison that houses more than 1,500 inmates. The officials are upset that Ice-T-- whose groupBody Count released the controversial "Cop Killer" song in 1992 -- was allowed to perform in the prison, although he didn't perform "Cop Killer" during his set.

"Ice was asked to perform this goodwill show at the facility along with the Dramatics," an Ice-T spokesperson said in a statement. "The groups performed for free and everything went smoothly. A friend of his who is an inmate at the facility asked him to perform. These types of performances are not at all out of the ordinary. They had to go through basic protocol and everything was approved. The show went on without incident, and [got a] great response."

But a spokesperson from Nevada's state department said that organizers of the concert did not get approval for the concert from the proper authorities, and state officials are reportedly investigating whether disciplinary measures should be taken. Ed Flagg, president of the Nevada Corrections Association, called the concert "ridiculous," according to published reports.

"I think it shows a complete lack of respect for the officers who work in the prisons on a daily basis with these inmates," he said.

-- Soren Baker, Los Angeles

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