The L.E.P. Bogus Boys were scheduled to be guests at A$AP Rocky’s first Chi-town show at the House of Blues in Chicago on May 3. Instead, the hometown group was forcibly removed from the show bill and they have good reason to believe that the Chicago Police Department was behind it.

“They’re telling us that we can’t perform at the House of Blues in Chicago and other venues in Chicago,” said Moonie, one-half of the L.E.P. Bogus Boys. “They’re blaming us for rapping about what’s really going on here.

"So what, we got to go away from our city to perform? Especially with all the groundwork that we put in?"

“All we’re doing is giving insight to what’s happening in our city,” he continued. “Not to sound cocky, but we’ve been carrying hip-hop in Chicago for years. People listen to us and for the police to say that we can’t perform in our own city? The crime rate is getting higher and they have time to sit on our Twitter and the Internet to see what we’re talking about?”

When XXL reached out to the Chicago Police Department, they denied having anything to do with L.E.P. being removed from the House of Blues show bill, but did offer this statement:

“We don’t monitor musical acts,” a rep for the Chicago Police Department said. “In the event that we’re made aware of a possible performer or act coming to town, we may adjust manpower to assure the public safety of the community surrounding the venue.”

Calls to the House of Blues in Chicago weren’t immediately returned. However, XXL obtained an email in correspondence between Michale Yerke, who is Live Nation’s president of talent for the House of Blues, and Kanye West’s manager Don C, who had booked L.E.P. at the venue.

However, in their correspondence, the rep from Live Nation goes on to tell Don C that after “local authorities” conducted research on L.E.P. and learned about their ties to the streets, that the House of Blues is not going to be able to have them on the bill. Calls to Yerke and Don C weren’t immediately returned.

The Bogus Boys have good reason to believe that the Chicago Police Department is the “local authorities” that is being referred to. They also believe that the CPD scratched them from a scheduled performance at the Congress Theater earlier this month as well.

“There has to be something going on because that venue (Congress Theater) holds 5,000 people and only 1,300 people got in,” L.E.P.’s manager E told XXL. “The whole show was cancelled.”

Added Moonie: “They want to shut us down now that we’re giving the truth about Chicago.”—Mark Lelinwalla

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