Nas‘ Mass Appeal imprint has come under fire after a high-ranking former employee accused the company of racial discrimination in a new lawsuit.
According to Hollywood Reporter, former head of development Melissa Cooper filed suit against the multimedia company in a Manhattan court on Tuesday (October 17). Cooper, a white woman, alleges she was the victim of “venomous and racist comments about ‘white folk’ and ‘crackers,’” and was eventually fired.
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Among the claims in her filing, Cooper said some of the racist commentary happened while working on the Freaknik documentary that’s set to air on Hulu in 2024. Jenya Meggs, a Black woman who is the senior vice president for partnerships and content acquisition at Mass Appeal, was allegedly upset she wasn’t on the doc while Cooper was, and allegedly texted an executive producer it was “usual white folk behavior.”
Cooper alleges things eventually got hostile between her and Meggs and as a result, Cooper was removed from projects by Peter Bittenbender, the company’s chief executive – who is white.
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“Bittenbender removed Cooper from a number of projects, including Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 Live concert at Yankee Stadium planned for August 11, 2023,” the suit reads. “Cooper’s removal from this important project, along with others Meggs was staffed on, effectively stripped Cooper of her primary role at Mass Appeal.”
Eventually, Cooper was let go in June, and she alleges that no investigation into her claims of racial discrimination were conducted.
Nas is not specifically named as a defendant. HipHopDX has reached out to Mass Appeal for comment.
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In more positive news, Nas’ shelved I Am… The Autobiography is finally getting an official release next month.
The long-lost album, which is the original double-disc version of the Queensbridge rapper’s 1999 LP, will be released commercially for the first time on vinyl on November 24 as part of Record Store Day’s 2023 Black Friday event.
The vinyl will include two unreleased tracks, as well as “many other rarities that have been on limited vinyl and 12-inch previously,” according to the product description.
Described as a “must-have for any Nas and die-hard Hip Hop head,” it will also boast special edition deluxe packaging. Only 4,100 copies will be made available.
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I Am… The Autobiography is just one of several rap albums included in Record Store Day’s Black Friday lineup, with De La Soul‘s 3 Feet High and Rising, Three 6 Mafia‘s Da Unbreakables and Goodie Mob‘s Soul Food also being reissued on vinyl.
Adding to the Hip Hop 50 celebrations, Lil Wayne‘s 2023 greatest hits compilation I Am Music and Digital Underground‘s The Body-Hat Syndrome are coming to vinyl for the first time, while Dr. Dre‘s The Chronic is being rereleased on CD for its 30th anniversary.
