Rap Lyrics On Radio Get Two Coffee Shop Workers Fired At Duke University
DURHAM, N.C. — Last week, a Duke University official walked into a campus coffee shop and was bothered by the music he heard coming from the speakers. This week, the two baristas who were working that day are no longer employed with the shop.
Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs at Duke, said in a statement released Tuesday that he went into the Joe Van Gogh on Friday to purchase some items.
"I was shocked to hear lyrics playing quite loudly. I found (them) quite inappropriate for a working environment that serves children among others," he said in the statement.
He said he was bothered by the lyrics "I f***** her up real good.”
"I expressed my objections to the staff with whom I’ve always had a cordial relationship," the statement said.
Britni Brown, who was working at the time, said the song was on an automatically generated playlist, and that she apologized to Moneta and immediately turned the song off.
Moneta said he then contacted the director of Duke dining to express his concerns and that was the end of his involvement.
Brown said she and another employee were let go from their jobs on Monday.
"I have definitely been like, upset about it and honestly crying because I lost my job over something crazy," she said.
Students at Duke felt like Moneta flipped on his position of free expression.
"The artist who wrote, recorded and performed the music is absolutely entitled to do so, however offensive I might find the lyrics. The employees who chose to play the song in a business establishment on the Duke campus made a poor decision which was conveyed to the JVG management," Moneta said.
Moneta went on to say that how the management at Joe Van Gogh, which is a contractor to Duke, responded to the employees' behavior was solely their decision.
Robbie Roberts, the shop's owner, issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to the people involved.
"We attempted to understand Duke’s position in this case, but we should have taken a different approach in making personnel decisions. As the owner of the business, I take full responsibility for Joe Van Gogh’s actions. I apologize to all of the people directly involved and those who have been touched or offended, of which there are many. We are taking steps to remedy this matter, but all company personnel issues are private and will remain private,” Roberts said in part.
Duke University also issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
"Last week, a Duke official raised concerns about the fact that a song with lyrics containing offensive and explicit language was being played in the Joe Van Gogh coffee shop on campus. Those concerns were brought to the attention of Joe Van Gogh’s management, which took actions with regard to the employees for which Robbie Roberts, the owner, has now apologized...," the statement said in part, referring to Roberts' statement above.
Duke went on to say, "We appreciate Mr. Roberts’ statement and his commitment to remedy the matter with the individuals involved, and regret the pain this incident caused to those who look to Duke to uphold the highest values of fairness and equity to all members of our community."
"Get Paid"
[Hook:]
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Whatever you do, just make sure you get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Crib so big, that it came with a maid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
[Verse 1:]
Rule number 1, get the money first
Rule number 2, don't forget to get the money
Play by these rules and everything will be okay
Still in my trap, flipping my Frito-Lays
Go get the money, it ain't nothing else important to me
I showed her a Xanax, she hurried up and took
I fucked her so good, she got up and started cooking
Rolling up big blunts, and a pound of cookies
If yeen got 40 bands, then you can't book me
Pulled up on the side of your bitch, she wouldn't stop looking
That bitch good as tooken, good as gone
I guarantee tonight my nigga, that bitch ain't coming home
I got money to count, I got bitches to fuck
I got packs to flip, pistols to bust
When I was small, I ain't have nothing
Started selling dope, and prayed to God for a plug
He showed up and said
[Hook:]
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Whatever you do, just make sure you get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Crib so big, that it came with a maid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
[Verse 2:]
Get paid nigga, get paid bitch
You on some rich nigga shit, we on the same shit
Me and my Memphis Grizzly partners fuck the same bitches
The only difference is I'm a trap nigga
Don't you hear it in my voice when I rap nigga?
I'm on South Beach with E Feezy throwing stacks nigga
Turn to the match nigga, facts nigga
She met me for the first time, didn't know how to act nigga
Double R, parked in my motherfucking front yard
Trap jumping like the motherfucking Million Man March
If she ain't got a fat ass, the she can't get up in this car
I can tell if that ass real or fake by how she walk
[Hook:]
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Whatever you do, just make sure you get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
Crib so big, that it came with a maid
Get paid, young nigga, get paid
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Never heard that rap song before. That shit is pretty dreary.
I can see someone complaining about it in the coffee shop. But how did it turn into two barristas getting fired?
As a culture we are letting garbage like this song waft over us all the time. Nobody cares.
This blues bassist from the 60s can't stand rap. It's just an extension of disco (which I also have little respect for).
IMO they left off the C in front of rap. I am no fan of disco either but at least it never advocated violence against women or LEO. Also, why is the N word okay to use in rap if it is such an insult everywhere else?
Well i would guess that who ever let that rap music play didnt expect for this official to walk in. Or didn't check to make sure the right tracks were playing.
I also think the owner now can put some money up and order some cable or an internet app and broadcast it and take the choice to play other types of music out of the hands of the employees.
in the end, losing there jobs was not something i feel was really warranted. ( i have a funny feeling the owner got stuck in a contract "threatening " meeting.)
With that said, there is a lesson to be had of not knowing who will walk in the door so better to be safe and play boring music.
Given the venue, song was certainly inappropriate to be blaring or playing softly! If employees violated music/company policies by playing this selection, firing is justified. Absent a policy or play list, they should have retained their jobs and schooled on what the corporation deems "fitting" lyrics.
There are a number of online music services, such as Pandora or Spotify that could produce an "automatically generated playlist", or it could be something the coffee house employees themselves put together. My point would be that it is unlikely this was the first time such songs were playing. The owners of the store probably never gave what garbage might be playing in their establishment a second thought until a big shot from the university complained. I doubt if this was the barristas "fault".
Aware of what's available to the owners to pipe through their system. Void of a policy or play list the employees should still be employed. Given the information we have available...owner(s) are responsible.
Probably. I wouldn't employ people with that little common sense.
So you like negro gangster rap?
Well I'll be damned, there's another thing we agree on Tex. Beef, and now, rap. If you want to piss off a rapper, keep calling it 'rat' music and pretend that's really what you think it's called!
I tried smoking a brisket. Couldn't keep it lit.
if a white worker had said that bad word some people would want him fired too
That's my jam!
/s
I don't think they should have been fired, but they definitely need to know what should and shouldn't be played in a business. Lyrics like that shouldn't, and it's sad that they have to be told as much.