Portland Hip-Hop Day Co-Founder OG One Says the City’s Relationship With its Hip-Hop Artists Has Gotten Better, But Is Still a Work in Progress
Artists frequently claimed their shows were subject to increased police scrutiny. The debate came to a head when a show headlined by veteran rapper Illmaculate was shut down by police in 2014 in Southeast Portland. About the same time, Jackson learned from a venue owner that a police officer had warned him against booking OG One shows because, the officer alleged, Jackson brought gang members to his DJ sets. “Now, mind you, I’m the official Blazers DJ, I’m a community figure, I have no gang ties,” Jackson says. “It was 100 percent not true.”