A proposed Black Rob concert at New York's Rikers Island correctional facility has been canceled by prison officials.
On Tuesday, Black Rob had rescheduled a prison concert that was originally planned for last fall, but has now been forced to cancel the show again, according to a representative of the rapper. Rob was slated to perform two shows in front of 1300 inmates on May 9, but the New York City Department Of Corrections has advised the rapper's record label, Bad Boy Records, that the benefit concert has been cancelled due to conflicts within the facility.
Rob tells MTV News that he hopes that prison officials will reschedule the show and said, "Whenever they call again I'll be there for them."
In his 30 years, Rob has had his fair share of incarceration for petty crimes, and Rikers was one of the places where he landed for a time. With a new lease on life, a new album, and a huge hit single under his belt, Robert Ross, as he is known by the prison system, hopes to use his music to teach and inspire his fans in addition to entertaining them.
"Maybe somebody could learn something from me," Rob told MTV News. "It don't pay to just hold back your experiences and not teach people what's going on, man. There's another side to this whole coin; I just been to both sides. I'm on the right side now. Hopefully next time this year, I'll have a Grammy.
"It's a Cinderella story, man. I went from jail to come out here to have the hottest joint in the world.... That's crazy. That's Cinderella."
Despite the show's cancellation, Rob still has plenty to be happy about; "Life Story" made an impressive number three debut on the Billboard Top 200 album chart in its first week and is quickly approaching platinum.
