Olmsted County Fair Board sticks with hip-hop artist Prof as concert headliner

Despite reservations about the artist’s past behavior, the Olmsted County Fair Board has decided to keep the Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Prof atop its music lineup for a ticketed concert this summer.

The board addressed the topic late Thursday amid calls for it to reconsider the booking due to past lyrics and social media posts from the rapper.

In June 2020, Prof was dropped by the hip-hop collective Rhymesayers over music the label said “perpetuates misogyny.” Around the same time, social media posts from Prof resurfaced that critics say glorify rape culture.

In recent days, the board has acknowledged that it did not properly vet Prof before signing off on the show — and that if it had, it may not have approved the performance. The board, however, says canceling the show now would be a challenge given that contracts are already in place.

The show, scheduled for July 23, is one of two nights of music being booked by the local media and promotion company Stationary Astronauts.

“The event in question is happening the weekend before the fair and is not a county fair event,” the board said in a statement. “Although the fair board may not agree with the social media posts, music, and lyrics, Prof has never been charged with a crime and has done nothing illegal. Individuals can choose to purchase a ticket or not. We, as a fair board, support inclusive entertainment and events for our diverse community.”

The Olmsted County fairgrounds concert is slated to be Prof’s first live show since exiting Rhymesayers. Since his dismissal from the group, he has publicly apologized for some of the language and imagery released under his name — calling it “embarrassing and ignorant.”

While the board has distanced itself from the booking, Stationary Astronauts owner Nick McLaughlin, aka Nikolai Zeppa, said he believes the artist is worthy of a second chance. He also emphasized that Prof has never been publicly accused of sexual assault or misconduct.

“I know these artists families who have lost so much over the past 18 months. They deserve to perform and our community deserves to see the top performers in the state taking the stage,” said McLaughlin, who says thousands of tickets have been sold to the shows. “At Stationary Astronaut, we believe in redemption for anyone who has made a mistake in life.”

Grappling with #meetoo

Rhymesayers’ decision to cut ties with Prof, along with a second artist, Dem Atlas, sent shock waves around the Twin Cities hip-hop scene and beyond.

Prof had been scheduled to release a new album within days of the announcement, though that project was scrapped in the wake of renewed scrutiny of his content, as well as sexual misconduct allegations against his longtime collaborator, Chris Young, who goes under the name DJ Fundo.

Prof said while he was aware that Young had “many sexual partners,” he did not know of the “extent of his abuse towards women.”

“First and foremost, we believe women and those who have survived sexual misconduct of any kind,” Prof and his manager, Mike Campbell, wrote.

Still, in the wake of the apology, some music insiders blame Prof for helping create a culture of toxic masculinity that allowed misogyny to thrive.

Rosei Skipper, a co-founder of the Rochester Posse, has been one of the most vocal critics of the Prof concert. She says while it has never been her intent to get the show canceled, she does want to raise awareness about the need to be “more mindful” about booking choices for all-ages events.

“Recent years have revealed that many of the musicians, actors and other celebrities that we love have also engaged in extremely problematic behavior,” said Skipper. “All of us must grapple with the dilemma of having to decide what behavior to tolerate and what work to support.”

McLaughlin, for his part, says he has done his due diligence and believes Prof to be an artist of “high character.” He has also criticized what he describes as “cancel culture” — a point that has resonated with many social media users. Some online have questioned, for instance, why there wasn’t the same level of outrage two years ago when the artist Nelly, who has been accused multiple times of sexual assault, performed at the fairgrounds.

Addressing Prof’s past content, some of which dates back to 2012, McLaughlin sought to differentiate the Minneapolis rapper’s conduct with that of other artists who were caught up in the #metoo movement.

“Guess what, that is not a crime,” he said of Prof’s tweets and lyrics. “Now, we have people we have to delete off of the comment section on our paid ads who are calling Prof a ‘rapist’ when he has had zero allegations ever.”

Local drama

McLaughlin and Skipper — promoters who often appeal to drastically different demographics in the local A&E scene — have been waging a digital battle against each other for the past week.

The back-and-forth culminated with a 10-minute virtual diatribe from McLaughlin, in which the podcaster and show promoter criticized Skipper for trolling his social media pages with misogynistic memes attributed to Prof. He also directed personal comments toward Skipper, suggesting that the feud could affect her ability to find work in the future.

“You are literally burning every bridge you ever thought you had in this city,” McLaughlin said in the video, which has since been deleted.

In response, Skipper stated: “Mr. McLaughlin’s aggressive behavior in this matter has been abusive, unprofessional and uncalled for.”

The fair board also weighed in on the public dispute.

“We are aware of the response from this specific promotor [sic],” the board wrote. “While we do not agree with how the promotor handled it, we will not be canceling this or any other events.”

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover: File photo of Prof performing in Minneapolis / Tony Webster