Kanye West is making headlines for the abusive and odd treatment of his employees at Donda Academy and his Yeezy clothing brand.
According to People Magazine, one of his former employees, Benjamin Deshon Provo, is suing him for workplace discrimination and seeking damages for retaliation, a hostile work environment, labor code violations, and attorney fees.
Kanye West Lawsuit Filed by Former Bodyguard
In the lawsuit, Benjamin explained what his experience was like while working for Kanye.
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He said that he started working for the rapper in August 2021.
He was primarily hired for security services.
Benjamin worked at Kanye’s Donda Academy even after the school moved to a new location.
While he continued to work there, he was also given more duties because there was a lack of staffing.
He also had to provide security services at Kanye’s Sunday Services and sometimes at the Yeezy warehouse.
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Benjamin said that while he was working security, he was told to do certain things that would put himself, and others, in danger.
One example is that he was told that it was his job to grab cameras from the paparazzi.
Kanye West Accused of Treating Black Employees Differently
Besides being asked to do harmful things, Benjamin also alleged that Kanye treated his Black employees differently from his non-Black employees.
He claimed that Kanye told all his employees that if they had any books from or about Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, they needed to get rid of them.
Kanye also insisted on getting rid of any books from other important Black figures.
When it came to pay, Benjamin also noticed that he was paid less than others who were not Black.
There wasn’t any reason he could determine as to why he’d be paid less than them when they were all doing the same job.
Even the way that Kanye talked to his Black employees was different from his non-Black employees.
Benjamin alleged that Kanye was short and abrasive when speaking to his Black employees.
He even demeaned them.
Eventually, Benjamin grew tired of earning less money than his co-workers.
He went to his manager, John Hicks, and complained about the difference in his pay compared to others.
John told him not to bring up money to Kanye because Kanye didn’t like to talk about money.
Kanye West’s Former Bodyguard Was Punished for Complaining
After Benjamin complained to John, he noticed something odd about his paychecks again.
He was getting even less pay.
Eventually, he went back to his normal rate, but he believed that he had been punished for complaining in the first place.
When he asked about why he was receiving less pay, John told him it was because Kanye couldn’t afford security services at the moment.
Things only got worse from there.
In April 2023, Kanye started demanding that all his employees shave their heads.
Benjamin had dreadlocks because of his Muslim faith.
Since his hair was tied to his faith, Benjamin refused to shave his head.
He claimed that both John and Kanye started pressuring him.
Benjamin alleged that, at one point, Kanye even said to John to tell the one with dreads that he needed to shave his head or he’d get fired.
He refused to shave his head, and he was fired as a result.
Besides seeking damages, Benjamin is also seeking an injunction against Kanye to keep him from owning and operating any type of educational school for minor children in the state of California.
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The lawsuit is still ongoing.
