discrimination

Nas’ Mass Appeal Faces Racial Discrimination Lawsuit From Former Employee

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Nas’ Mass Appeal label is facing a racial discrimination lawsuit from the company’s former head of development, Melissa Cooper. Cooper, who is white, says she dealt with “venomous and racist comments about ‘white folk’ and ‘crackers,’” during her tenure at the imprint. She filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cooper recalled a time she and her co-workers were working on a Freaknik documentary that’s set to air on Hulu in 2024. She claims the senior vice president for partnerships and content acquisition, Jenya Meggs, who is Black, complained that Cooper made it into the final cut and she didn’t. The woman allegedly texted an executive producer it was “usual white folk behavior.” Tensions apparently flared up between the two and Peter Bittenbender, the company’s chief executive, removed Cooper from the project.

Read More: Cam’ron Thanks Nas For Including Him In Rap 50 Despite Past Beefs

Nas Celebrates 5 Years Of Mass Appeal

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 16: Nas performs at Mass Appeal Records’ 5-Year Anniversary Celebration at Chelsea Music Hall on May 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

“Bittenbender removed Cooper from a number of projects, including Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 Live concert at Yankee Stadium planned for August 11, 2023,” the lawsuit reads. “Cooper’s removal from this important project, along with others Meggs was staffed on, effectively stripped Cooper of her primary role at Mass Appeal.” She never mentions Nas by name and the company eventually let her go back in June. She says there hasn’t been an investigation into her claims of racial discrimination.

The lawsuit comes as Nas prepares to release his long-awaited album, I Am… The Autobiography. The project is finally getting an official release for Record Store Day’s Black Friday lineup. The vinyl will include two unreleased tracks and feature special edition deluxe packaging. Other projects include De La Soul‘s 3 Feet High and Rising, Three 6 Mafia‘s Da Unbreakables, and Goodie Mob‘s Soul Food. Be on the lookout for further updates on the lawsuit against Mass Appeal on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Nas, Lil Wayne & More Appear On DJ Premier & Mass Appeal’s “Hip Hop 50 Vol. 1” Project

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Keke Palmer Alleges Discrimination At Airport Over Breast Milk

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Any mother out there knows that pumping breast milk for your child can be an arduous task, and one that airport security seems to have little regard for according to Keke Palmer. Moreover, the entertainer recently claimed on Twitter that she was a victim of “breast milk discrimination” at a Houston airport. According to TSA regulations and what we know of her testimony, it seems that the issue arose from the amount of breast milk permitted in carry-on baggage. Currently, quantities greater than 100 milliliters can pass through carry-ons just fine, yet she faced some pushback at the screening.

“Breast milk discrimination at the Houston airport ruined my mood,” Keke Palmer shared. “I should’ve popped my tit out right then because the discretion and comfort of pumping is thwarted with threats to throw out over 16oz my babies food?!?!!! Why is that not a crime?? I’M A MOTHER for crying out loud,” she concluded with some crying emojis. For those unaware, Palmer just recently became a mother, giving birth to her son with Darius Jackson, Leodis, back in February of this year.

Read More: Keke Palmer On The Queen Of Rap: “I Talked To Nicki [Minaj]… I Didn’t Record It Though”

Keke Palmer Calls Out Airport For Almost Making Her Throw Out Breast Milk

In other news, the 29-year-old recently released her first album in over a decade, Big Boss, which is also a visual album and her directorial debut. One of the many themes discussed on the album is the issue of sexual assault, abuse, and violent culture in the music industry, which she expanded on in an interview with People magazine. “We know bad things happen in all of them, but it’s almost like the acting world represents a union and the music industry represents non-union,” Keke Palmer remarked. “It’s happening in the actor world but eventually, it’s going to come to a damn halt. Somebody’s going to get called out. Something’s going to happen. At some point, we’re going to come to some kind of understanding.

“With music, it’s like everybody is being paid, and everybody’s a crooked cop,” she continued. “So, it seems like nothing will ever really come to a head. It almost feels like it’s a coming-of-age story for a woman. Being a woman is like, ‘Damn, the biggest mistake you can make is trusting somebody.’ Damn, I just shouldn’t have trusted someone? I wish that there was more that we could do. But it seems like we can’t even really expect for people to respect our boundaries.” For the latest updates and news on Keke Palmer’s many endeavors, check back inn with HNHH.

Read More: Keke Palmer’s “Big Boss” Visual Album Review

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Employees File Sex Discrimination Lawsuit After Company Blasts Eminem

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Eight former employees of S&S Activewear have filed a lawsuit against the company after rap music was played while they worked. Seven of the eight former employees are women. They allege that the songs’ raunchy lyrics created a hostile working environment. According to reports, songs like Eminem’s “Stan” and Too $hort’s “Blowjob Betty” were blasted in the 700,000-square-foot warehouse where hundreds of employees, including women, were working. The Marshall Mathers EP hit track famously features lyrics about a man killing his pregnant girlfriend.

Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda Du previously dismissed the case in 2021. She claimed then that offensive actions towards both sexes can’t be considered sex discrimination. She also cited employees acknowledging that the action “was not directed at employees of either sex.” S&S had also previously called the music “motivational” to their employees. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later reinstated the suit. Judge M. Margaret McKeown claims “An employer’s status as a purported ‘equal opportunity harasser’ provides no escape hatch for liability.”

Read More: Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” Turns 23

Eminem’s “Stan” Got S&S Activewear Sued

Employees would place speakers on forklifts and drive around the warehouse. This behavior made it “more difficult to predict — let alone evade — the music’s reach,” McKeown explained. The judge also claims that, “In turn, the music allegedly served as a catalyst for abusive conduct by male employees.” She alleges that male employees “frequently pantomimed sexually graphic gestures, yelled obscenities, made sexually explicit remarks, and openly shared pornographic videos.” Offensive behaviors don’t need to be targeted in order for them to create a less-than-comfortable work environment, according to McKeown.

“Whether sung, shouted, or whispered, blasted over speakers or relayed face-to-face, sexist epithets can offend and may transform a workplace into a hostile environment,” McKeown also stated. She later says that, “Exposing employees to misogynistic and sexually graphic music can be discrimination because of sex, even where the employer exposes both women and men to the material and even though both women and men find the material offensive.”

Read More: Eminem Collabs Caused Racial Backlash For G-Unit, Tony Yayo Claims

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