JPEGMafia Concert in Berlin Leads to Hospitalization of Fans Due to Pepper Spray Incident

Incident At JPEGMafia Exhibition

Six people were reportedly taken to hospital after being injured in a pepper spray incident at the JPEGMafia exhibition in Berlin earlier this week.

Details Of The Performance

The American rapper, singer, and producer performed at Huxley's Neue Welt venue in the German capital on Monday night (January 20) as part of his current European tour.

According to Associated Press, several fans were injured at the concert by pepper spray. Six people were reportedly subsequently hospitalized with breathing problems.

JPEGMafia – real name Barrington DeVon Hendricks – reportedly ended the show early due to the incident. Besides, Setlist.FM notes that the show “ended abruptly after an audience member pepper-sprayed the crowd.”

Police are currently investigating, and it remains unclear what caused the incident.

Spectators were reportedly evacuated from the 1,600-capacity concert hall. According to the German news agency, the fans were first taken to the car park and then sent home. dpa.

Per AP, German TV presenter RBB reported that an unknown person sprayed pepper spray in the audience during the performance.

In a message to Reddit, one fan in attendance said there was “one person with pepper spray” in the crowd. “It's impossible to be mad at Peggy and his team for canceling the show,” they added.

A concert in Berlin was evacuated after someone sprayed tear gas into the crowd. This video is currently outside of this location.
Toyou/uhhhhhh_cool Vjpegmafiamusic

“The crowd went crazy after the first song. Everyone in front was close to collapsing to the ground due to the intense heat, but everyone still had so much energy left. It's sad that it ended after six mosh pits, but I had a lot of fun in that crowd.”

Another person shared video showing a large police presence outside the venue. Others criticized the security staff at the site in the comments section. In a separate mail, a fan said they “saw people coughing and leaving the room pretty quickly.”

How Safety-discount Germany notes that “pepper spray is classified as a weapon and its possession is illegal” in the country. “However, using pepper spray against people is legal for self-defense,” he adds.

“Even pepper spray can be purchased and used from a minimum age of 14, but due to their very strong effect, they can only be used against animals in Germany and must also be clearly labeled as animal repellent.”

NME contacted representatives of JPEGMafia, as well as Huxley's Neue Welt site, for comment.

The rapper plans to resume his current tour in Milan tonight (January 22) before further shows in Barcelona, ​​Paris, Utrecht, and Brussels. He will then head to the UK and Ireland for performances in Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Brighton, and Bristol. Remaining tickets can be found here..

Later this year, JPEGMafia will support Linkin Park on select dates on their massive 2025 world tour, including the band's show at London's Wembley Stadium. Last August, he released his latest studio album, I Lay Down My Life For You.