I see all of these comments regarding the Chief Keef “NO SHOW” that happened at Plan B on March 31^st in Charleston.  Most of the comments make reference to “Janky Promoters”.  Let me just say this, most of the people saying this have probably never booked a “national” artist in their life and they have no idea of the foolishness you have to deal with when it comes to some of these artists and their teams. 

Speaking from EXPERIENCE, you can be the most professional promoter on earth.  Your contract can be signed and fully executed, your deposits can be paid to all responsible parties, you can have your radio / internet drops directly from the artist, BUT at the end of the day, it is the Artists and his team’s responsibility to make sure he hops on that plane/bus and brings his ass to the event.  THAT has NOTHING to do with the promoter and at that point it is out of their hands.

Let’s face it, these artists may have hit songs and million dollar record contracts, but most of them have no idea how to conduct business or how to be professional.  Also, many people on their teams are their homeboy or cousin, and they also have no clue how to handle business.  On top of all of that, many of these artists have substance abuse problems that cause them to care less about handling their business.

I could go on and on, but people need to understand, many times it’s not the promoters fault, the artists are just JANKY.  Oh yeah and that goes for local and national artists, DJs, etc so don’t get it twisted.  And stop saying that these artists hate Charleston, or they don’t F*&^ with Charleston, that’s stupid.  Most of the time, artists that are No-Shows have probably done this in more than one city and they have a history of doing this.  So no, if Chief Keef didn’t show up in Charleston, that doesn’t mean he has something against the city, all that means is he’s young, he’s not professional and he is the one that is JANKY.

So with all that being said, Shout Out to all the promoters just trying to bring something fun to your city.  We have been there and done that with Janky Ass Artists and we feel your pain.  Syllabus Mag aint mad at ya’ll!

If you are going to book any artist, there are a few things Promoters should be aware of so that they can avoid having to deal with a Janky Artist:

1)      If the artist or his label mates already have a history of not showing up to an event, be VERY CAUTIOUS.  If it happened in New York, it can happen in Charleston, Charlotte or Atlanta, don’t think you are special and be aware of the risk you are taking.

2)      Get  audio/video drop ASAP.  It always brings you a little bit of comfort when you can actually hear and see the artist saying they are “going to be there”.  Even though in my case we had all of that and the fool still didn’t show up, it can still be used as evidence just in case you have to fight with them.  Your agent can help with this.

3)      Contracts! Contracts! Contracts! – If you don’t have a signed (fully executed) contract then just kill yourself.

4)      Use a third party agent if possible.  Its always nice to have a middle-man just in case some foolery goes down, you have someone who can help you in the situation and its not just you against them.

5)      Save all of your emails/texts/etc.  JUST IN CASE.

6)      Be careful, if you NEVER see a Tweet / FB Update from the artist saying they are going to be there.  This is a sure sign that something is wrong.

7)      Don’t pay deposits directly to the artist, pay it directly to the agent (3^rd party) who should be required hold the sum in an escrow account. The performance fee should only be able to be released to the artist pending the proper performance of the contract by the artist.

8)      Promoters should investigate securing cancellation insurance to protect it from the financial consequences of ‘no shows’.

9)      Promoters must ensure that they comply with all of their contractual obligations pursuant to the terms of the contract with a headline performer or personality so that any ‘no show’ is not due to their own act or omission.