July 10, 2000 – In the midst of the most peaceful and successful hip-hop tour in history, organizers for the "Up in Smoke" Tour are addressing violations of First Amendment rights at two Michigan shows: Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and the Palace of Auburn Hills outside Detroit.

This comes after officials from the City of Detroit ordered tour organizers to pull two videos – part of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's sets – from the show's presentation Thursday night at the Joe Louis Arena. As reported in the Oakland Press (suburban Detroit Daily newspaper), officials from the City of Detroit invoked "local ordinances about what can be shown to minors, (they) first requested then demanded" that the videos be pulled from that evening's performance. Just a half-hour prior to showtime, city officials, without any regard for safety issues for the 10,000 fans who had bought tickets to see the "Up in Smoke" Tour, advised tour organizers not to show the videos. If the videos were shown, the projectionist would have been arrested and the house lights turned up immediately.

Not wanting to disappoint the fans and concerned with the safety of the concertgoers, Dr. Dre elected not to run the video. "I can't believe that the mayor of a major city like Detroit would ignore the United States Constitution and act so irresponsibly," said Dr. Dre. "This guy should be voted out of office in the next election." In addition, recent reports of a previous Dr. Dre arrest in Detroit in the 80s are erroneous.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the tour took the case to United States District Court on Friday (July 7), and after a Federal judge determined that "it was a blatant violation of the First Amendment," the city was ordered not to interfere with the presentation of the videos. The videos were shown at the July 8 show (Palace of Auburn Hills). "We're stunned that the mayor would risk municipal safety by pulling this stunt while fans were arriving at the arena," the attorneys stated. "We're putting other cities on notice that this behavior is unacceptable and will be the subject of injunctive relief actions if attempted again." Dr. Dre is contemplating a lawsuit against Detroit for its illegal violation of the tour's civil and constitutional rights.

The tour – a historical summit of the reigning leaders of hip-hop – kicked off Thursday, June 15 and features performances from DR. DRE, SNOOP DOGG, ICE CUBE, EMINEM and WARREN G, XZIBIT, KURUPT, MACK 10, NATE DOGG, MC REN, THA EASTSIDAZ, TQ and JAYO FELONY. In an effort to ensure a safe concert-going experience for everyone, the promoters for the tour (Dream Team, LLC led by Magic Johnson, as well as Metropolitan Entertainment, Radio Events Group and Silva Touring), along with local venues have implemented a highly effective security plan throughout the tour's run. This includes a visible police presence at the venues and metal detectors and wands for all areas of the venue, including backstage.