Many in Detroit’s music scene have moved to boycott the DJ and producer Omar S after he was involved in a physical altercation with a woman at a downtown bar in November.
Apparently, Madonna didn’t get the memo.
The pop star tapped Omar S as her opening act for the Little Caesars Arena stop of her “Celebrations” tour on Monday, a retrospective of her four-decade career that felt like a hometown show with Madonna playing up her connections to the Detroit area. (She grew up in Pontiac and Rochester Hills.) While not advertised as the opener, Omar S confirmed the gig by posting a video clip from his set on the Instagram page for his FXHE Records. He did not address the crowd, nor did Madonna give him a shoutout.
In November, Omar S was involved in an altercation with singer Supercoolwicked after she allegedly approached him at the music venue Paramita Sound over what she claimed to be $10,000 in unpaid royalties. A fight broke out, resulting in Omar S being removed from the club, and both Supercoolwicked and Omar S posted photos on social media showing what appeared to be injuries. “OMAR S … IS A VIOLENT ABUSER,” Supercoolwicked wrote in the caption of a photo showing wounds to her face, alleging that Omar S smashed a glass on her head. (Omar S’s attorney has denied the claims.)
Paramita Sound banned Omar S from the space, as did other local venues like Spot Lite. The incident also reignited a dialog about the safety of women in the music scene. “In no way or how do we condone violence as a solution to a problem ESPECIALLY violence against women,” Spot Lite said in a statement at the time. Detroit rap group HiTech also distanced themselves from Omar S and FXHE Records, where they released their 2022 self-titled debut album and 2023’s Détwat. “Aye look. Beating up on women is not what we stand on!” the group wrote on social media.
While many in the 15,000 in attendance at Little Caesars Arena were likely unaware of Omar S, it was a bit of a sour note and distraction from the feminist and LGBTQ+ pride messages of Madonna’s show and what was otherwise a joyous occasion.
“I went to my first gay nightclub here,” Madonna told the crowd, likely referring to Menjo’s. She also shouted out her former ballet instructor Christopher Flynn, who she said died of AIDS. A segment of the show honored those who died of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and ’90s, showing the photographs of its victims projected onto large banners.
The concert was Madonna’s version of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, highlighting her many accomplishments, from playing at NYC’s famed CBGB’s nightclub through her James Bond theme song and beyond. A montage of newspaper clippings highlighted her propensity for pushing boundaries, and her backup dancers mimicked looks from throughout her career, including her famous cone bra.
Madonna recounted how she always tried to make her father proud, even though he disapproved of her from moving to New York City with just $35 to pursue a career in music. “He did not encourage me to leave, but he gave me the skills I needed to survive,” Madonna said, noting that her 92-year-old father was in attendance.
Clearly, Madonna has cemented her legacy as a feminist icon, inspiring many women and LGBTQ+ people along the way — which makes her choice of Omar S as her opening act a curious one.
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