Guns, drugs and $30,000 gone? Why BlocBoy JB's Myrtle Beach area show didn't happen

Concert promoter Richard Stallings told The Sun News last month he booked burgeoning rapper and hip hop artist BlocBoy JB thinking it “would be fun to try something different like poppy and dancy and for the kids.”

What transpired was certainly not for children.

BlocBoy JB, whose real name is James Baker, was scheduled to perform during an all-day event at Spa Ultra Lounge & Restaurant during Atlantic Beach Bikefest on May 26.

But he never performed and hasn’t returned the $30,000 he was paid for the show, according to Stallings and Spa’s owners. Two teens from BlocBoy JB's hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, who Spa's owners say were part of his entourage, were arrested on gun and drug charges following a wild scene in the Spa parking lot.

BlocBoy JB and several members of his 13-person entourage attempted to enter the club with handguns, said Spa co-owner Quinsan Kilgore. Seven guns were confiscated by Horry County Police, according to Capt. John Harrelson, and the group had several more in their vehicles, including assault rifles, according to a HCPD report.

“Everybody was uncomfortable,” said Angela Bailey, the business co-owner. “It had everybody that was out here or inside feeling very uncomfortable … thinking something was about to happen.”

When asked if BlocBoy JB had a response to the allegations, his booking agent Jason Wagner said in a text message: “Not true and has no comment.”

The fiasco

Kilgore said BlocBoy JB and his entourage arrived at Spa for the performance in three vehicles and gathered at the trunk of one where they proceeded to pass out handguns.

“Our security saw in the parking lot they were getting firearms and stuff out of the trunk,” Kilgore said. “They started passing them out like candy.”

When security informed the group at the front door they would not be allowed to enter the club with guns, they returned to their vehicles, Kilgore said.

Fearing BlocBoy JB would leave, having allegedly already collected $30,000 for the show, Kilgore said security blocked their vehicles with a car and BlocBoy JB and his crew agreed to enter the club unarmed. “We already moved the car out of the way thinking everything was fine,” Kilgore said.

But Kilgore and Stallings both said security detected a gun on BlocBoy JB when the group tried to enter a second time, and he began to walk briskly back to the vehicles. His group also began scurrying to the vehicles and Kilgore said security yelled to police at the end of the street to block the road, which is corroborated in the police report.

“They all started running around and reaching and it got crazy, and that’s when we had to tell the police to block the road off,” Kilgore said. “They said, ‘F this man, we out of here. F this bullsh*t, we out of here,’ and just took off running.”

According to the Horry County police report, just before 11:30 p.m. officers were positioned down the street from Spa and heard people yelling to shut the road down while observing a large crowd scrambling and running toward vehicles.

As officers approached, the report states, “guns were visible in the vehicles laying in plain view with people sitting in the vehicles. The people were then escorted out of the vehicles and they were checked for weapons for officer safety." The report continues, "Officers began to search the vehicles due to the handguns and assault rifles laying in the seats and on the floorboards.”

Two Memphis teens were arrested as a result. Tremaun Williams, 17, was charged with possession of a stolen pistol that was between his feet in a Ford Expedition, according to the police report. Montrell Moore, 17, was charged with simple possession of marijuana after accepting ownership of a mason jar full of the drug that was in a vehicle, according to the report.

Police confiscated six guns “for safekeeping” because no one on scene would claim them, as well as the stolen pistol, according to the report, and guns that were rightfully claimed were given back to the owners, the report said.

“They had a bunch of guns,” Kilgore said. “[Horry County police] told one of our security guards that it was over 250 rounds [of ammunition]. They had drums and banana clips and extended clips for the pistols and all types of [stuff]. … They had two [assault rifles] that I saw, a mini AK47 and I don’t even know the other kind of gun it is. I’ve seen it on [video game] Call of Duty. It was kind of scary.

“People were hiding in the ditch over there. There was a vehicle parked in the front of the club, and a female was under the truck.”

Much of the activity in the parking lot was caught on a surveillance video from a neighboring business.

“It just went downhill fast,” said Brittany Combs, a friend of Stallings who was at Spa to watch the performance. “It was just sketchy. He was in all white, all his friends were in all black with their hoods up just standing around. It was just creepy. They just had bad vibes. I wasn’t expecting that from him at all.”

Who is BlocBoy JB?

BlocBoy JB is a rising hip hop and rap artist from Memphis, Tenn. The 22-year-old is best known for his “Shoot” dance and single “Look Alive” featuring Drake. He was featured in an “Artist You Need to Know” article in Rolling Stone magazine this month, which mentions he had a past gun charge in Memphis.

BlocBoy JB recently released the mixtape “Simi,” which he says in Rolling Stone is named in honor of a friend who helped steer him toward a fully committed hip hop career before the friend was killed. “Shooting guns and [stuff], I was doing that at 14,” BlocBoy JB told Rolling Stone. “I was Crip at 14. But I ain't on that [stuff] no more. Simi's the reason why I made that transition.”

BlocBoy JB recently defended Atlanta rapper 21 Savage, with whom he collaborated on the song "Rover 2.0," for drawing a gun during a brawl at a pool party.

BlocBoy JB told TMZ, "I don't move with no security. Just because security there, it's like you still in the hood still sellin'. You gotta move like without the security 'cause if security gets shot right now, shit, you still gotta bust. . . . I always keep my guns."

A failed concert

So what caused a scheduled rap and hip hop show to deteriorate to the point of arrests and threats of at least one lawsuit?

It appears the show was doomed from the moment BlocBoy JB and his crew arrived in Myrtle Beach around 1 p.m. on May 26.

Stallings and his business partner were responsible for almost all of the costs of the show, including BlocBoy JB’s $30,000 fee and more than $20,000 for things such as permitting, security, DJs, the sound system, and marketing and promotion.

The show was scheduled as an all-day outdoor event from 1-11 p.m. with several artists performing before BlocBoy JB. Kilgore said the capacity for the outdoor show exceeded 2,000 and he expected gross revenues including ticket sales, bar and food sales, and VIP table sales to reach $200,000. Tickets started at $40 each, and Spa and Stallings were to split ticket sales 50-50.

Kilgore and Stallings say $15,000 was wired in advance to secure BlocBoy JB’s booking, and another $15,000 was due the day of the performance. Kilgore said when the artist arrived, Stallings didn’t have the full remaining $15,000.

Stallings admitted to the shortcomings. He said it was his first foray into promoting a big show when he signed a deal with booking agency Gogetta Inc on April 26. Stallings expected advanced ticket sales to cover most of the cost of the show, but he said much of the promotion was delayed and advance ticket sales were minimal.

“Just brainstorming using my partners and investments, I thought it would equal something positive,” said Stallings, a Myrtle Beach native. “I had the right idea, but the momentum kind of crashed.”

Kilgore said Stallings was eventually able to provide $7,200 the night of the show, and Kilgore had to recruit a friend from Wilmington, N.C., to drive down with $7,800 to cover the remainder of BlocBoy JB’s fee.

BlocBoy JB was scheduled to go on stage about 8 p.m. The delay in payment forced the performance to be pushed back after 11 p.m., and because of a county noise ordinance and event permit requirements, the show had to move inside Spa.

Spa never opened that day and there were no performances. Kilgore said several opening acts paid the promotors to have the opportunity to perform on the same bill as BlocBoy JB and wanted their money refunded.

“I can’t put the fault on BlocBoy and them,” Kilgore said. “I can fault them for trying to enter the club with firearms, but as far as the whole circus of the whole ordeal, that’s on promoting. … Nothing on their rider [contract] was how it was supposed to be so it was just confrontation from that point on.”

Spa’s owners estimate they spent between $20,000 and $25,000 for a show that never took place and also lost a day of business. They say they plan to file a lawsuit against both the promoters and BlocBoy JB to recoup their losses, and have retained Melanie Emery of Emery Law Firm in Myrtle Beach.

Spa’s owners are hoping to bring more live entertainment to their business this year. They hoped for a July 4 show but said the BlocBoy JB fiasco has set them back. They may try another outdoor event on Labor Day weekend, but say moving forward they will not deal with promoters and will avoid young hip hop and rap artists. “We’d rather do an older crowd, like R&B,” Kilgore said.

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Guns, drugs and $30,000 gone? Why BlocBoy JB's Myrtle Beach area show didn't happen."