After a series of popular underground fight DVDs, the creators of “Felony Fights” are parlaying their underground success into full-fledged live MMA event and music festival … and, West Coast vets such as E-40, Too Short, and Psycho Realm are serving as the event’s music headliners.
Cage Vs. Cons is set to kick off its inaugural event on May 21st at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA and boasts a stacked bill of hip-hop vets.
From early in the day until well into the evening, concertgoers will get a large helping of hip-hop with over 20-plus acts gracing the cage/stage; while 10 professionally sanctioned MMA fights will cap the evening.
“We’re meshing hip-hop with MMA, with each artist, not only performing, but also contributing to the event’s soundtrack. It’s a fight-themed, which we are giving out for free to fans of the event,” said co-founder Daniel Laughlin. “It’s gonna be a real vicious event. The baddest motherf***ers in hip-hop, and the baddest fighters — cops fighting convicts. It’s an event that’s never been done.
“I’ve been involved in the fight game for a long time, and then Danny came on. He’s always been involved in the music game. What we did was basically meshed our passions together,” adds event co-founder Michael Lynch. “We’re doing it big, and there’s a lot of different things coming out to coincide with the event — a reality show, online PPV.”
In addition to the aforementioned headliners, the event’s line-up includes performers such as Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest, Ras Kass, B-Real, Tha Dogg Pound, Kurupt, Kool Keith, 40 Glocc, Shabazz The Disciple, Agallah, and Mobb Deep affiliate Big Twins, among others.
The organizers have already released a full-length soundtrack, featuring music recorded exclusively for the event, to get fans acquainted with the acts. The 19-track release has music from all the artists on the bill, and can be downloaded for free at their official website, CageVsCons.com.
The event’s main draw — the MMA fights — will be headlined by cage fighter Ismael Gonzalez — who just happens to be a cop — taking on convict “Notorious” Rick Slaton, who got into mixed martial arts when in 2001 after a stint in state prison. Other bouts include pro-MMA vets, as well as amateurs attempting to make their mark on the sport.
The day will also include a tattoo expo, says the event’s organizers, with several artists and tattoo shops inking patrons throughout the day in booths set-up at the venue. Hosting duties will be handled by actor Tiny Lister (aka Deebo from Friday), Mexican actor Danny Trejo, and notorious drug kingpin Freeway Ricky Ross.
Tickets for Cage Vs Cons are currently on sale at Ticketmaster. They range in price from $30 for general admission to $350 for ringside tickets. For more info, visit CageVsCons.com.
