Players Ball
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The Players Ball is an annual gathering of pimps, held in Chicago, Illinois. The party has been a November tradition since 1974, when pimps from across the country gathered to celebrate the birthday of Don Juan now known as Bishop Don "Magic" Juan. Every year, the award for "Pimp of the Year" is given out. Juan was the winner 13 years in a row.[1]
The idea stemmed from a scene in the 1973 blaxploitation film, The Mack, in which the lead character, a pimp named Goldie, attends The Players Ball in Oakland, California. Comedian Dan Aykroyd parodied this event in his film Doctor Detroit.
The Player's Ball was shown in the HBO documentary Pimps Up, Hoes Down and the Hughes Brothers' documentary, American Pimp. Other Players Balls take place across the country, most notably in Miami, Statesboro, and Atlanta.
Player's Balls in Illinois and Atlanta have been shut down because of the presence of underage girls and because of community protests.
Rapper Ditch performed at the 2009 Official Bishop Don Magic Juan's Players Ball in Chicago, IL. He also performed at the 2011 Memphis Players Ball in Memphis, TN, which was also attended by Bishop Don Magic Juan, Good Game, Candyman, The Black Hef and others.
[edit] Other versions
A well-known non-pimp Players Ball started some years ago in Las Vegas, as a private party for businesses attending the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. The event is organized by D-Money. Past events have featured performers including Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Lil Jon, E-40, Digital Underground, Ice-T, Cypress Hill, Too Short, George Clinton & P-Funk, Slick Rick, Doug E Fresh, Fishbone and porn star Ron Jeremy, YTCracker & Flavor Flav as the MC.
