June 1, 2007
AMW i.e. Talent: DJ single Handed
Earlier this month, Allhiphop.com reported on a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit filed against “This is Why I’m Hot” rapper Mims. A young woman named Marquita Blair filed suit when Mims failed to show up for a scheduled concert after receiving a $2,500 down payment from her to go towards his appearance that night. Blair cites his misogynistic attitude towards women as the reason for his absence, accusing him of a “pattern of conduct involving the belittlement and degradation of females as 'b***hes and hoe's." Mims’ lyrics are quoted in the lawsuit as well.
As a famous line in many hip-hop songs goes: HOLD UP, wait a minute!
I seriously hope Ms. Blair has more evidence to back up her accusation than his song lyrics. Did they have face-to-face or phone contact when Mims belittled her? Does she have witnesses to back up her claim? Is there any other reason at all to believe that he snubbed her because he looks down on women?
Are any of Mims’ degrading lyrics even admissible as evidence in a court of law?
Lyrics have been on trial before with little to no success. Tupac’s lyrics incited a teenage boy to kill a Texas police officer. West Coast rapper C-Bo was arrested for violating his probation by releasing his album “Til My Casket Drops.” The lyrical content was said to be in violation of part of his parole, which stipulated that he may not promote or encourage violence in any manner. Even beyond the hip-hop scope, lyrics from a song by heavy metal band Judas Priest were said to have caused the suicides of two young men. The whole defense was built around a perceived subliminal message in the song which urged listeners to “do it,” meaning to pull the trigger.
The charges were dropped in all three cases due to lack of merit and first amendment protection.
The aforementioned cases dealt with extremely serious issues, two of which had grave consequences. Using lyrics to prove misconduct due to misogyny is frivolous and shows more than just a bit of greed. This woman wants $7.5 million? I could understand if she wanted to recoup the expenses that it took to put together the concert, which I doubt cost nearly that much. Charging Mims with not fulfilling his part of the contract has enough merit by itself.
I’m guessing the other $7,450,000 is for “punitive damages,” “pain and suffering,” and any other terms synonymous with “extra stuff to tack on to the lawsuit that I learned while watching the ‘People’s Court.’”
If Ms. Blair does truly have a case with enough supporting evidence, then I stand corrected and wish her luck. If she’s just extra salty about Mims missing a concert date, then I urge her to not let vindictiveness cloud her better judgment. As a DJ, I’ve opened up for other DJ’s and artists who have not shown up to the gig. Wait a minute, I guess that means I didn’t actually open up for them, did I? The point is, it happens. Deal with it and go for what you’re entitled to and not a penny more.
Then again, I must admit that this young lady is doing something I’ve wanted to do for a while now: suing Mims over his lyrics. I’ve wanted to sue that guy for lack of evidence to prove why he’s actually hot. The fact that I ain’t cuz I’m not just isn’t good enough for me.
