I woke up this morning and read the Houston Chronicle website like I always do, and I see this story with a random Booker T quote thrown in ![snoop :snoop: :snoop:](https://www.thecoli.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/snoop.png)
![snoop :snoop: :snoop:](https://www.thecoli.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/snoop.png)
This dude jumped into a situation he had nothing to do with just to tap dance.Fitzgerald's owner responds to outrage over her 'shocking' emails
By Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle
Updated 5:07 pm, Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Fitzgerald's has kicked up a social media storm after a heated email and Twitter exchange with a respected Houston producer and DJ.
It started when Garrett Brown, known as Trakksounds, emailed the venue about a possible March 31 booking for Billboard-charting Tennessee rappers Starlito and Don Trip.
Owner Sara Fitzgerald responded with an "I'm gonna pass on this" – but immediately went into an expletive-filled rant.
See the full email above, which includes expletives and racial stereotypes.
"It was extremely shocking. We sent them a couple of music links. A simple, 'No' would have sufficed," Brown said Tuesday afternoon.
Brown, who is white, blasted the response on Twitter. The venue doubled down on the comments, claiming they were quoting his song lyrics back to him.
"Boycott away," reads a second tweet. "We do not host misogynistic music that worships rape culture and harbors hatred."
Though the emails came from Fitzgerald, she says the tweets came from one of her assistants.
Fitzgerald says she was just repeating words she heard in the lyrics.
"It flew in my face. I said, 'I don't want to book this.' I put in quotes all the words. I used the n-word because that was used frequently in the song. I don't want to book that kind of music. I was saying it because I find it sexist and racist. That's just my opinion," she says.
"It came across as I was making a general, sweeping statement about their music, which is kind of interesting. Are they racist because they used the racial slur 20 times?
"The feminist in me just came out. It's not right to say anything bad about black men, but you can say bad things about women? I'm tired of being called 'bytch' and 'ho.' Why is every woman in their song called that?"
Fitzgerald also took aim at hip-hop fans in the email, a point which angered many: "300 fans that buy little, tip little and create big disharmony – no thanks."
"They blatantly stereotype a whole group of music fans. I've been to so many hip-hop shows there with no problem," Brown said.
Brown, as Trakksounds is an in-demand producer and DJ who has worked with, among others, Bun B, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, Jhene Aiko, Chamillionaire, Devin The Dude, Kirko Bangz, Scarface, Cam'Ron and Nipsey Hussle.
His latest project, featuring Scarface, Starlito and The Suffers' Kam Franklin, premiered Monday on XXL.
Fall out from Fitzgerald's response has been swift, with the emails and tweets drawing condemnation from many Houston musicians, including Fat Tony, Franklin, Roosh Williams and Kyle Hubbard.
Comedian and actor Hannibal Buress, who performed Friday at Fitzgerald's, tweeted, "Yeesh. Just worked at this spot on Friday. Never again though."
Former wrestler and Houston mayor hopeful Booker T. Huffman also weighed in: "Comments made by @FitzgeraldsLive were totally appropriate. Stereotyping a group of people is wrong, but there's a certain undesirable element that rap crowds bring. Fitzgerald's did nothing WRONG!"
Margin Walker and The Secret Group, a pair of live-music promotion companies, tweeted that they would no longer be booking shows at Fitzgerald's.
Fitzgerald maintains that her venue has "probably had more international diversity than any club in Houston" and has welcomed many rap and hip-hop acts.
"I shouldn't have said it. I should have just said, 'No thanks. I'll pass.' I'm probably one of the few clubs that even books the music. I get lots of calls because I do allow it to play here. But I don't know how to reconcile that," she said.
"I was told not to say those words, and then they get up and say the words, and if you say something about it, then you're a racist. The whole genre is racist.
Fitzgerald said she was still reeling from an earlier rap show. The most recent at the venue was a Jan. 27 bill featuring rappers Kay Jay and Devin the Dude.
"I asked them to turn it down. They threatened me. They called me a racist bytch because I asked them to turn it down for the neighbors. It's 1:30 in the morning on a weekday and they were yelling at me. I felt kind of threatened," Fitzgerald said.
"I would say the same to anybody else. You just can't say it to the black kids or they're going to be mad at you. One of them lit up a joint at the damn bar. My manager told him to take it outside. He told her he was going to shoot her.
"I'm 70. I want them to pull their pants up and quit grabbing their crotch while they sing. I would say the same to my son. It's not a color issue. White kids do it, too."
A second, previously unseen email from Fitzgerald to Brown sent after the emails went viral did little to minimize the damage.
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