Controversial rapper Kanye West is being sued for allegedly discriminating against black staff and demanding an employee to cut off his locs.
Benjamin Deshon Provo, a former employee of Kanye West’s Donda Academy, filed a lawsuit claiming that West verbally mistreated black employees and fired Provo for refusing to cut his hair.
Provo, who worked as a security guard at Donda Academy since 2021, alleges in the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that he suffered “emotional distress” due to West’s actions, which allegedly included terminating him for not trimming his hair.
Provo stated that West instructed staff to “shave your heads,” but he declined due to his Muslim faith.
Provo also alleged that white staff members were paid $5 more per hour than black employees.
He further claimed that West banned books about Black history at Donda Academy, echoing allegations made in an April 2023 lawsuit by former Donda Academy teacher Cecilia Hailey, which is set for court in April 2025.
Provo is seeking damages for alleged discrimination, a hostile work environment, retaliation, labour code violations, and other grievances.
In a separate incident, West stated in a viral video a few months ago that his family is “not Black but Indian.”
This isn’t the first time the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, has faced lawsuits alleging discrimination against Black employees.
Trevor Phillips, a former employee of Yeezy and Donda, recently filed a lawsuit accusing West of treating Black employees unfairly compared to their white counterparts.
Phillips also claimed that West expressed anti-Semitic and homophobic views in the presence of school children and made threats such as locking kids in cages, among other troubling allegations.
