Ainât no n-word, indeed.
(For your edification, thatâs taken from the title of a classic 1996 track by Jay-Z and Foxy Brown from The Nutty Professor soundtrack.)
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For all the good Shawn âJay-Zâ Carter is hoping that will come out of his problematic partnership with the problematic NFL (yes, I said it), yet another controversy has bubbled up.
Brooklynâs reigning rap king and his Roc Nation empire are embroiled in a new drama this week after it was revealed that the founder of one of the two charities benefitting from his âsocial changeâ partnership with the NFL posted âinsensitiveâ photos of her cutting the dreadlocks of two black teenagers.
We would think that these charities would be vetted before they are chosenâ and especially since âJigga Manâ is sporting a dreadlock aesthetic these days.
But thatâs another talk show topic.
Sally Hazelgrove, founder of Crushers Clubâone of the two charities splitting a $400,000 donation from Jay-Zâs Roc Nation and the NFLâ apologized for the two tweets, posted in 2016, saying it was done âwithout much thought.â
âOut of 500 youth going through our doors I cut two young menâs hair because they asked me to and we are a family structure and so I did it and didnât really think about it after that,â Hazelgrove told USA Today. âI tweeted about it without much thought. Itâs hair. But I regret it now and I promise you I will not be doing that again if asked.â
âThe hatred and accusations from this took me by surprise,â she continued. âThe backlash has been hard, to be honest.â
Founded in 2004, and based in Chicago, the not-for-profit organizationâs mission is âto be the strongest alternative to gangs,â according to its website.
The âthoughtlessâ tweets came back to life on the same day as Roc Nationâs free Chicago concert to celebrate the NFL partnershipâfeaturing Meek Mill, Meghan Trainor, and Rapsody.
A few hours after the shiznit hit the fan, Crushers Club posted a video of a man who alleged he was the teen pictured getting his dreadlocks cut by Hazelgrove.
âThey cut my hair like three years ago,â Kobe said. âThatâs something I wanted to do. I was tired of it. Tired of gang banging. Tired of messing up.â
But the dreadlock beeswax wasnât the only thing Hazelgrove had to answer for.
Americaâs National Newspaper called into question Crusher Clubâs since-deleted tweets using the polarizing phrase âAll Lives Matter,â which is commonplace among critics of the Black Lives Matter movement.
âI said that not to take away from Black Lives Matter, but to be inclusive of everyone,â Hazelgrove told USA Today. âI never meant to belittle or disrespect anyone. I will be more sensitive of what I say moving forward. I truly have love for everyone of all races, religions, and preferences, and hate does not live in me. I am so sorry for being insensitive.â
Hmmmm, I guess she tole us.
The former drug dealer turned Forbes first hip-hop billionaire may need new people.
Reps for Roc Nation and its problematic partner, the NFL, has yet to comment.
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