Kanye West reportedly sued by former security guard for discrimination and wrongful termination in a new lawsuit

Vultures hitmaker Kanye West is once again in hot water after his former employee brought about a plethora of allegations against him. West's former security guard Benjamin Deshon Provo alleged in a lawsuit filed on Friday, April 26 that West discriminated against, berated, and screamed at his black employees including Provo. The security guard claimed that he was paid less than non-black employees for no reason.

Provo alleged wrongful termination in the lawsuit by claiming that Kanye fired him from his position due to him not shaving off his dreadlocks. Apart from these allegations, he further claimed that West requested everyone associated with his Donda Academy to dispose of books by prominent black historical figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kanye West allegedly discriminated against his black employees (Image via YouTube/Kanye West)

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Kanye West's former security guard claims that he discriminated against black people on multiple occasions

Benjamin Deshon Provo worked as security for Kanye West at his Yeezy clothing brand warehouse and also at his Donda Academy before he was allegedly unjustly fired. On Friday, the security guard, who started working for the rapper back in August 2021, filed a lawsuit against West in Los Angeles.

In the lawsuit, Benjamin alleged that West would "frequently" scream at his black employees including himself, and would further "berate" them. Provo noticed a "stark difference" in the way Kanye's black and non-black employees were treated. He alleged that Ye was demeaning and abrasive specifically to him and other black employees.

The lawsuit alleges:

"Kanye and members of his management team subjected Provo and other black employees to less favorable treatment than their white counterparts... specifically, Kanye frequently screamed at and berated black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff."

According to the lawsuit Provo alleged that he was being paid less than non-black employees without any "discernible reason." The security guard further alleged that Ye placed him and the paparazzi in harm's way by instructing him to snatch away the camera from the paparazzi separately.

When Benjamin complained about the aforementioned pay disparity to Kanye's manager John Hicks asked Provo to not talk about money with West as the rapper did not like talking about money.

After raising a few complaints, Provo alleged that his paychecks started to decrease. The same decrease was not felt by West's non-black employees.

Provo claimed that Kanye West even went so far as to require everyone associated with Donda to get rid of books written by prominent black historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. The lawsuit stated:

"Kanye regularly expressed negative beliefs associated with prominent black leaders that advocated for or sought to advance the black community."

As per the lawsuit, on April 2023, Kanye West demanded that Provo, along with the rest of his employees shave their heads. Provo wore his hair in dreadlocks, which he described as a practice that was part of his Muslim faith. However, both Kanye and Hicks started piling on increasing pressure on the security guard to shave his head. The lawsuit narrated:

"Hicks approached Plaintiff and stated, 'Kanye said, 'Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head or he is fired.' Plaintiff refused to shave his head, and as a result thereof, his employment was terminated."

With the filing of the lawsuit, Provo seeks damages for an allegedly hostile work environment, labor code violations, retaliation, and discrimination. He also wanted a preliminary, permanent, and public injunction against the defendants including Kanye West, that prohibited them from operating educational institutions for minors in the state of California.