The controversy surrounding high-end department store Barneys, racial profiling and hip-hop mogul Jay Z continues to spark conversation and commentary. Following accusations that Barneys profiles and harasses young African American patrons of its Manhattan location, many called for Jay to pull out of his planned partnership with the store. While advocates like Rev. Al Sharpton have defended Jay, former drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross was asked for his take and offered a different perspective on Jay’s recent statement regarding his business dealings with Barney’s.
“I read the Jay Z comments on Barneys asking why he’s being judged, you’re being judged because that’s what comes with basing your career off the D-boy game,” Rick told AllHipHop. “The game is give and take with those around you. It’s not enough to comment about Barneys profiling when you sell products to the people possibly targeted. People that look like people you grew up with, and that are in your family. We know the reality of this country in regard to race. You stand up for them immediately when it comes to something as sensitive as racial profiling.”
Ross added that rappers have to acknowledge that many of the brands they champion in their music don’t value their fans as a demographic.
“You have to have context of American history that this profiling is happening and be honest, and demand the people you partner with to be of the type that treat your people fairly,” he explained. “This is the big problem of the high-end luxury these rappers talk about and have our children hooked on for status. They are not in our interest as a community, and often, as seen in the profiling case, they look down upon us as customers.”
