Christian rapper Hulvey (Christopher Michael Hulvey) is an award-winning rapper, songwriter, and producer, best known for his song “Altar” with Forrest Frank, as well as “Beautiful” and “Reasons.” He also recently won a GMA Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year for his album Could Be Tonight.
Hulvey had a sold-out show in Amsterdam at the Melkwe cultural complex, but after exceeding ticket sales, promoters moved it to a larger venue across the street that seats 500, Club Annie, without his knowledge or respect to the different environment.
However, in a video posted on social media by an attendee, he shared that he had to cancel the show because the venue featured sexually explicit and pornographic images on the walls.
While we won’t be posting images of the club (which does indeed feature pornographic images), in a September interview with Het Parool, programmer Milou Zoer explained the vibe and decor of the venue:
“An abandoned sex club—that’s the vibe we’re going for. It should become a bit of a dark sex den here.”
Upon seeing the wall art and decor, Hulvey asked officials to cover it up, which they refused. He then canceled the show and explained to his disappointed fans:
This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve never canceled a show in my life. Let me tell you all something. We walked in the venue today and there were pornographic images in that venue.
When we first booked this show, they had us booked in a different venue, but we sold too many tickets. They moved us in another room without telling us. Into a room with pornographic images.
And I have kids. And I respect, and I respect God’s creation way too much to make people walk in there and have to see sexual images on a wall.
I stand for Jesus only. If that cost me a show, who cares? Who cares? Because I answer to him. And so I am so sorry to you guys on behalf of Under My Name, but I will not let any of you guys have to go in there and see that. So we’re working on rescheduling immediately.
And just know my heart, I’m standing for Jesus, man. The show might be canceled, but let me tell you something man., All this is a reminder of for me is man, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for his name.’
They’re not happy with us right now. And guess what? I’m frankly not happy with them. But I love them. And so I want to ask, we just respectfully, we’re going to reschedule. We’re going to give God the glory.
Hulvey then began to pray for his fans out loud
“So Father, I thank you for every person who came here tonight. And I pray that they would just see their brother here having to do something hard, remind them, if you’re calling them to do anything hard, they do it.
I thank you God for purity. I thank you for your forgiveness. Lord, you would never ever ever willfully lead us into any type of temptation…”
He later added in a video posted to his channel:
“I was meeting 7-year-old fans at the meet-and-greet, and there are tons of kids outside. I am not okay with people seeing what were on those walls and the type of things that they could be exposed to at a Hulvey concert would not be okay to me.
So, I made the hard decision to cancel tonight in Amsterdam, and we are working to reschedule immediately. And I’m so sorry to the fans. The way that y’all just made me feel so comforted for making this decision means a lot.But there is one that I answer to, and that’s Jesus. I answer to God. And I have to do what He convicts me to do, and I have to make sure that I take care of the little ones.”
