Roots Drummer Questlove Racist? – Tha Wire
Today in Tha Wire legendary drummer of The Roots, Questlove is being blamed for two cameramen being fired. TheBlast reports NBC execs gave Kurt Decker, and Michael Cimino, their walking papers and for some reason they think Quest had something to do with it. So their suing the network and The Roots frontman for unlawful termination, and discrimination to the tune of $2 million dollars.
It's worth noting, the two men are caucasian, and were working as camera operators for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Decker and Cimino claim they both received “an unsolicited racist and misogynist text message." Court docs obtained by The Blast allege, Roots bassist Mark Kelley (who happens to be Black,) allegedly received the same message. The incident occured on June 19, 2017, and was supposedly sent from a stagehand on the set.got. That person has yet to be identified, and the exact verbiage used in the text hasn't been revealed. At least not yet.
Whatever it was, Decker and Cimino allege they didn't respond to it, and reported it to Bryon King, a NBC Tech Production Manager, and Roots manager, Keith McPhee. The two men say they were blindsided when management suspended them, yet surprised Kelley didn't join them. Obviously feeling some type of way, They're scream FOUL!. Plus, both men feel Quest used his stroke and allegedly, “pressured NBC to fire all of the Caucasian employees involved in the incident.”
Quest's camp isn't having it. A rep for the famous drummer was quick to address the bogus claims, and the lawsuit with the following statement via TheBlast:
Denies the ridiculous allegations made in this lawsuit. Racism is REAL and exists throughout the world and for these gentlemen to claim victim is not only disrespectful to Questlove and his bandmates, but to all that truly endure racism on a daily basis.
A spokesperson for NBC also issued a statement on the matter saying they are:
Committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We have strong policies in place that protect against discrimination in any form. The decision about these plaintiffs was the company’s alone.
Sources on the inside say, NBC investigated the whole situation for seven weeks, before letting Decker and Cimino go. TheBlast was also told that the former employees never reported the inappropriate text, which a direct violation of company policy. What a mess. Guess they already had an issue with Questlove, because he doesn't appear to of have anything to do with this what-so-ever.
We'll see how all this pans out for the gentlemen, and I will keep you posted with all the details. Get the scoop daily with Tha Wire, and only on The People's Station 107 Jamz.