I want to dedicate this post as an ode to De Duivel. As I have only been an Amsterdam denizen for about two years, it is impossible for me to fully comprehend the impact that this bar has had on the hip-hop community here. It is frequently touted as the proverbial spot for hip-hop in Amsterdam. I think it’s a shame that it was closed down due to violence. I prefer to think that rather than the locale being the impetus for violence, it was a particular mindset, a mindset that most of De Duivel’s constituents did not possess, that was the true culprit. That culprit is still at large. Maybe folks here would do better to take a page from my hometown and get some pipe-hitting security and metal detectors at the door of places as such. Closing down venues doesn’t destroy the problem. At best it only forces the problem to relocate…
