Are we doing this again? Getting all worked up and scared about a hip-hop show?

The Big Fresno Fair is bringing a bill of Bay Area rappers for a Oct. 14 show billed as "Hyphy Nation." Scheduled to perform are Keak Da Sneak, San Quinn, Turf Talk, Dem Hoodstarz and Fresno's Shake Da Mayor. Hyphy is the Bay Area's answer to crunk. It's a sub-genre of hip-hop that's become a cultural phenomenon that influences how people in the Bay dance, dress, party and act.

Wednesday, KSEE, Channel 24, did this story (there's a video, too) about the Hyphy show at the fair. It seemed like a thinly veiled "watch out, Fresno -- be scared of the rappers." The story said:

Those who crticize [sic] "Hyphy" say it encouages [sic] people to engage in unsafe behavior. A concert in Turlock was cancelled in September following a maylay [sic] at a concert in Modesto. During that concert cars were damaged and several people were arrested.

They're talking about this. Which is odd, considering that has nothing to do with Fresno.

Instead, why not talk about how pretty much every act on the show has performed in Fresno in the past year and there hasn't been any major problems at any of those shows? And what about the rest of the performers at the fair. You mean to tell me that nothing bad has ever happened at a Merle Haggard concert?

Seems like another instance of the media trying to make hip-hop look bad.

Don't we remember when E-40 -- the biggest of all the names involved in all this hyphy stuff -- was supposed to perform a benefit concert in Visalia, but the city freaked out for no reason, canceled the show, made some borderline-racist remarks and eventually looked dumb when the show was a sell-out with no problems in Fresno?

When are people gonna learn?