Public Enemy Maybe Playing Free Show in Skid Row

Updated 7:21 pm: This is the coolest thing to happen in Skid Row since forever, possibly: rappers including Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Kurupt, Mellow Man Ace, and XClan are performing a free concert on Sunday on the usually sad corner of Fifth St. and Gladys Ave. in "Central City East." Organized by Public Enemy's Chuck D and Skid Row activist General Jeff, the sponsor-less Occupy Skid Row Music Festival will also feature speakers, live painting, book giveaways, and food trucks, reports The Atlantic. General Jeff hopes the block party brings out Angelenos from other neighborhoods, so people see that the area isn't as scary as it once was. "The old wild, wild West days are over," he says. Meanwhile, Chuck D tells CBS LA that he wants people to swing by so they're more aware of the area's issues: "We're looking to make the invisible visible," he says. UPDATE: Hm, there seems to be some dispute about what's actually happening this weekend. According to KPCC, "Originally publicized as a music festival starring a dozen or so classic LA rap acts agreeing to play for free...the sponsor-less, grassroots effort took a somewhat different musical shape as the play date approached. Chuck D and Public Enemy's involvement remained, despite a less robust supporting line-up." Public Enemy is still saying there's a show, according to LA Weekly.
· Public Enemy Leads Operation SKIDROW Music Giveback Festival [Public Enemy]
· Concert of the Day: A Free Show at the Epicenter of Homelessness in L.A. [The Atlantic Cities]
· Chuck D, Cypress Hill To ‘Make The Invisible Visible’ In ‘Operation Skid Row’ [CBS LA]