Rappers to perform at Powers

YOUNGSTOWN - Rap comes to Youngstown Saturday night for what promoters hope will be the first of many area concerts.
Klassy Productions, based in Farrell, Pa., is bringing rappers Lloyd Banks and Young Buck to Youngstown for a concert billed as Rapfest 2005. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at Powers Auditorium. Tickets are $40 and $45 if purchased in advance. All tickets are $50 the day of the show.
Banks and Young Buck, whose real name is David Brown, are part of G-Unit, a group of rappers who record together and separately on Interscope Records. Young Buck made headlines last fall when he was charged with stabbing a fellow rapper at the Vibe Awards. Violence is part of rap's reputation, said concert promoter Malcolm Kimble, but the Youngstown concert will be "100 percent safe."
"We have plenty of security," Kimble said. "Everything is secure. We got 50 extra security guards ... it's very much safe."
Kimble expects to draw a crowd from 15 to 35 years old. "Rap is different," he said. "They try to make rap a tough reputation. Well, rap is rap. It's different from other music."
Fans younger than 15 are welcome, he said. "We don't discriminate to age," Kimble said. "We leave that up to the parents. They can make the decision."
Ticket sales are good so far, Kimble said. If Rapfest is a success, Klassy Productions will bring more acts to the area.
"[Banks and Young Buck] are the biggest act traveling around the country today," Kimble said.