by Sharon Y. Savage Boxer targeted for 'shopping while black' T he Forum Shops at Caesar's is host to exclusive shops and restaurants - maybe too exclusive. An employees in a store that shall remain nameless didn't recognize a well-known and casually dressed boxer who was shopping recently. The employee erroneously assumed that because of the boxer's appearance - and likely his skin color - that he couldn't afford anything in the store. Wrong. The boxer had just spent 3G's (three thousand dollars) in a flower shop and probably could have bought anything he wanted. The employee asked the boxer to leave. Not wanting to cause a scene, the boxer complied. From what I am told, the boxer, who was staying at Caesar's, reported the incident and that there were threats to pull the retailer's lease. I'm not sure how that ended up. This incident is a stark reminder that it doesn't matter how much wealth a black man accumulates, he is still a black and living in a white man's world. It's bad enough that police pull over African-American males for "driving while black," now black men are victims of a "shopping while black" mentality. Store personnel follow them around the store and security officers radio each other alerting them to the whereabouts of a suspicious-looking black male or a group of black males. Will this ever end? Hit me up on the venom and vibes message board and let me know what you think. Blue Note sounds high note for jazz lovers J azz lovers look out, you have a great new place to enjoy the music you love. Housed in the newly opened $1.4 billion Aladdin is Blue Note Las Vegas - it's located at the corner of Harmon Avenue and the Strip inside the Desert Passage at the Aladdin. The Las Vegas facility is the latest is a string of Blue Note's worldwide, the first opening in the Greenwich Village of New York City. Nancy Wilson and Lou Rawls headlined opening weekend festivities for the club-restaurant. Attendants seemed more interested in conversation than Wilson' smooth vocal stylings. It was reported that Rawls was less than pleased with the reception and subtlely gave the audience an ultimatum - shut up or get out. Rawls is working on a musical revue Me & Mrs. Jones: The Songs of Gamble & Huff. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are responsible for some of the best music back in the day. Among their numerous hits are "Back Stabbers," "If You Don't Know Me By Now," You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle are rumored to be connected to the musical. The Blue Note will host plenty of performers in the future, including the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Cassandra Wilson. Najee, Foreplay, Kenny G offer jazz variety N ice weather and relaxing jazz make for a special combination. You have your choice: Najee will perform at the Sunset Station's outdoor amphitheater Sept. 1. Foreplay has a new project "Yes, Please" and will take to the Spring Mountain Ranch stage Sept. 15. Dave Koz heads to the Sunset Station Amphitheater on Sept. 23 and Kenny G will play the House Blues Sept. 30. If you want to see Kenny G, start saving. Tickets are pricey - $63, $93, and $128. Where there's smoke, there's (lyrical) fire T he Up in Smoke tour went off without a hitch but there was plenty of smoke. The mostly young Thomas and Mack Center crowd indulged in enough marijuana smoke that if you didn't take a toke, you got high off of the contact. Most of the after-concert talk centered around law enforcement allowing people to openly smoke weed, which is an illegal substance. The consensus: It was easier to do nothing than to risk crowd safety. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Xzhibit and Eminem left a trail of smoke - and a happy audience with a show that was off the hook. To the surprise of some, the was no violence. House of Blues sampled Marley's melodies Z iggy Marley and the Melody Makers made a return appearance at the House of Blues. The vibe was mellow and the performance was outstanding. Once again, there was a connection between reggae music and marijuana. Crowd member partied to the reggae sounds, their weed-buzz on big time. Surviving brother seeks to keep spotlight G ervase, the brother from the "Survivor" television show, is trying to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame. He was in town for a celebrity basketball game. He said being considered a celebrity is new for him and that he is trying to parlay his stint on the small screen into an acting gig. Rappter YoYo makes surprise appearance R emember Yo Yo? I'm not talking the toy made by Duncan. I'm talking about the female rapper, Bonnie to Ice Cube's Clyde. Yo Yo was recently at the Hop night club. She freestyled some of her old joints. Be on the look out for her new project. Dr. Dre is said to be lacing her with some tight beats. The word is that she kept the crowd hyped and anxious fans tried to get autographs. From the reports I received, she sounded decent but was a little on the thin side. Yo Yo said she would be back in Vegas soon. Locals hook up with NY's DJ Kid Capri M y boy T-Wade, Tyrone Nesby, Nayage Entertainment and the crew at the House of Flava hooked up with DJ Kid Capri for an autograph session and fashion show. Of course, to have Kid Capri in town and not have him spinning on the wheels of steel would have been completely out of line. So, Kid Capri put in work at the drink night club one night and the Motown Café the second night. Kid Capri also showed the radio station some love and did an interview. Latin heart throb sells out Aladdin theater E nrique Iglesias christened the Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts, which reopened after what seemed like forever. The show started an hour late but the swooning female fans did not seem to mind. Igelsias is one of the top-selling Latin artists around. Tickets went for as much as $125. Enrique's father Julio was also in town over the weekend, playing at Caesar's Palace. Julio's tickets were $75. The younger Iglesias plans to star in a Latin musical, 4 Guys named Jose and... una Mujer Named Maria. The musical will spotlight the rich Latin cultural heritage. Black Moses coming to deliver us I saac Hayes, known as the Black Moses, is headed for the House of Blues Aug. 25 and 26 at the Mandalay Bay Theater. Hayes was responsible for the original motion picture Shaft. (John Singelton's modern-day Shaft introduced new audiences to black hero). Hayes is also known to some for the voice of Chef from the South Park series. He currently spends his mornings as a disc jockey on KISS FM in New York, where he celebrated his 58th birthday at the Copacabana. The star-studded bash raised funds for the Isaac Hayes Foundation which provides instruments and music education to the less fortunate. The Barkays, Niles Rodgers of Chic, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Chaka Khan, Howard Hewitt, Miles Jaye, Najee, Eddie Levert and Rachelle Ferrell were among many celebrities lending support. It's hard to believe Hayes is only 58. I remember his old jams such as "I Stand Accused" and the "Theme from Shaft." The images that come to my mind are old album covers and the chocolate bald brother with chains. Maze, Price teamed teaming on magical tour T he Let's Make Magic Tour featuring Frankie Beverly and Maze will play at the Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts. Frankie Beverly and Maze put on one of the best concerts I have ever seen at the old Aladdin theater. I was at that show. The crowd stood during the entire performance and everybody sang the lyrics to all of the songs. I am sure things haven't changed. If you have never seen them perform live, treat yourself. Lakeside and Kevon Edmonds are also on the ticket.