A former security guard has filed a lawsuit against rapper Kanye West (Picture: Neil Mockford/GC Images)
Kanye West is being sued for racial discrimination by a former security guard.
The 46-year-old rapper is the subject of a lawsuit filed by Benjamin Deshon Provo – who worked for the All Day hitmaker at both his Donda Academy school and at a warehouse used as storage for Yeezy clothing.
In the suit, the former employee alleged the controversial star subjected Black employees to ‘less favourable treatment than their White counterparts.’
Documents obtained by People alleged Ye ‘frequently screamed at and berated Black employees’ and fired Benjamin for refusing to cut his dreadlocks.
The security guard told how he began working for Ye around August 2021 and after six months at Donda Academy.
This was when the school moved locations and he was ‘assigned additional job duties as a result of a lack of staffing’, which included the Vultures rapper’s Sunday Service events and at his Yeezy warehouse.
In the suit, the former employee alleged Ye subjected Black employees to ‘less favourable treatment than their White counterparts’ (Picture: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
During that time, he alleged he was asked to place himself and paparazzi ‘in harm’s way’ by snatching cameras from waiting photographers.
Additionally, Benjamin claimed Ye made ‘anyone associated with Donda dispose of books related to Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and other prominent figures in the Black community’ and alleged he was paid less than non-Black employees ‘for no discernible reason’.
The lawsuit accused Ye of displaying a ‘stark difference’ in the way he treated Black employees to other staff members and claimed he was ‘always abrupt, abrasive, and demeaning of Plaintiff and his Black counterparts.’
When the man complained about the pay disparity to his line manager John Hicks, he was told not to raise the topic with Ye.
Shortly afterwards, he saw a ‘decrease in his paycheques’, which his white colleagues didn’t experience.
He was also told the rapper ‘can’t afford security right now’.
In April 2023, the Bound 2 hitmaker allegedly ‘unjustifiably and unreasonably began demanding that Plaintiff and others shave their heads,’ despite Benjamin wearing his hair in dreadlocks ‘as an exercise of his Muslim faith.’
The Donda hitmaker is said to have become ‘aggressive’ (Picture: Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
He demanded employees shaved their heads, according to the suit (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/MTV1415/FilmMagic)
The document added: ‘As a result of Plaintiff’s non-compliance with Ye’s demands that his head be shaved, Hicks and Ye began to exert pressure on Plaintiff to do the same.
‘Ye began to become increasingly more aggressive, demanding [and declared] “It is time for you to shave your heads. I am not messing around.”
‘However, Plaintiff refused. Thereafter, Hicks approached Plaintiff and stated, Kanye said, “Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head or he is fired.” Plaintiff refused to shave his head, and as a result thereof, his employment was terminated.’
The Plaintiff is seeking damages for the alleged discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, labour code violations and for attorney fees.
This is as well as a ‘preliminary and permanent injunction, and a public injunction, against all Defendants, prohibiting them from owning and operating any type of educational school for minor children under the age of 18 years in the state of California.’
Reps for Kanye West have been contacted for comment.
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