American rapper Kanye West is facing a lawsuit for alleged discrimination and mistreatment of Black employees.
Benjamin Deshon Provo, a former security guard at West’s Donda Academy, claims that West created a hostile work environment, showing favoritism towards white employees while treating Black staff unfairly. In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, Provo states he was fired for refusing to cut his dreadlocks, which he kept due to his Muslim faith. He alleges that West had ordered staff to shave their heads and dismissed him when he didn’t comply.
Provo also claims white employees were paid $5 more per hour than Black employees. Additionally, he alleges that West banned books about Black history from Donda Academy, including those about figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., echoing similar accusations made in a previous lawsuit by former Donda Academy teacher Cecilia Hailey. That case is set to go to court in April 2025.
Provo is seeking damages for discrimination, retaliation, and violation of labor codes, among other claims. Kanye West had previously made controversial statements in a viral video, suggesting that his family is not “Black but Indian.”
