Saphan Robinson, a 26-year-old rapper from Birmingham, better known as SafOne, was due to perform at Birmingham’s O2 Academy.
With 600 tickets sold, things were going well. But on May 12, a month before the concert was to take place, SafOne was shot. Four days later his show — scheduled for June 15 — was abruptly cancelled.
His injury, a bullet wound to the thigh, wasn’t life-threatening and he was released from hospital soon after the attack. It was the second time he had been shot in the space of a year and there have been no arrests, West Midlands police said.
SafOne said he found out about the cancellation in the same way his fans did. “I received the email the same way the fans received the email saying that the shows been cancelled and there’s no chance for it to be rescheduled,” he said.
“The way it was cancelled was unprofessional,” SafOne continued. “No meeting to get my side. No phone call. Just an email saying the show has been cancelled and won’t be rescheduled.
“[It's] definitely not fair as I have been a victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong times.”
The rapper, who has appeared on BBC Radio 1, said he took the knock-back and turned it into an opportunity to host the first ever pay-per-view concert in the UK.
SafOne said he was initially told that “the police contacted the O2 and put a bit pressure on them to kinda cancel the show”.
He added: “I kind of was expecting it to happen anyway because [the venue] were giving me trouble from the start, so when the incident happened I just knew that they were gonna roll through any string they could.”
West Midlands police told BuzzFeed News: “It is not a decision for West Midlands police to make regarding the cancellation of a concert; this decision is taken by the licensed premises. Our licensing officers remain in regular contact with the local authority and event premises.”
In a joint response to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for the venue and the promoter said the cancellation was a mutual decision.
They said: “The event was cancelled on 16 May 2018 following direct consultation and intelligence from the local authorities’ licensing department, the promoter ‘BHP & MadOne Music’ and discussion with the venue to mutually agree that the event would not take place.”
In a statement, Birmingham city council said it had no involvement in the decision.
SafOne said he wasn’t able to access the list of 600 people who had bought tickets, so he asked his fans to contact him directly. He said he’d had the idea of a pay-per-view concert in the back of his mind from the beginning.
Another SLIGHT look into how the #SafoneHeadlineShowPPV went down ! Im editing a version myself with exclusive footage of what was happening behind the scenes on the run up to the show ! Large up every1 that come n everyone itching to come to the next im doin this for u guys 🙌🏾 https://t.co/oB7Kbwetvl
“I just thought about the idea and I was going to incorporate it into my O2 show [but] I was getting a bit of problems from them,” he added.
“So as soon as that was cancelled, I just went 100% all the way with the pay-per-view. So it worked out better basically.”
The rapper said it could be a solution for many artists who are facing issues in finding venues for their concerts. The impact of pay-per-view is “massive”, he said. “A lot of artists for numerous reasons can’t perform when or where they want, so PPV is basically a fresh road that allows the supporter and artist to never have to miss out.”
His fans were happy that he’d decided to press on with the show, he said. Many said they wouldn’t have been able to make it in person in the first place.
SafOne said: “They’ve seen how much work I have put into the situation, so they just wanna see me perform my live show.”
On the night of the pay-per-view concert, SafOne said: “I’m going to have 100 supporters and we’re going to have certain influencers in the building too. It’s more about the pay per-viewer watching it, as a viewer in their own home.”
For the select 100 at an undisclosed venue, SafOne said he was going to make the night extra special.
He said: “It’s a more intimate crowd, a show for the show. There isn’t no time to be on your phone.
“It’s a simple message: If you’re into grime, if you’re into futuristic things, if you’re into gadgets, if you’re into anything along them lines, make sure you lock in, because this is gonna be first ever live hip-hop pay-per-view concert.”
The show turned out to be a success. Viewers watched from all around the world, from places such as Russia, Japan, Vietnam, and the US.
SafOne tweeted about the night and said he’s considering a second pay-per-view show.
Commenting on the UK music scene and in Birmingham, he added: “It's the best it’s ever been. Birmingham is the same, it’s the strongest it’s ever been, so a great time to be involved in shaping it. I couldn’t ask for more really.”
