Melissa Cooper, a white woman, is suing Nas’ company, Mass Appeal, for alleged racial discrimination. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cooper was a documentary producer working as the head of development of the company. After being fired, Cooper claims she allegedly experienced, “venomous and racist comments about ‘White folk’ and ‘crackers.’”

The company allegedly removed her from “several high value projects, creating a hostile work environment, and terminating her employment.” Shortly following, the hip-hop artist was faced with an alleged discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan. Nas is not distinctly designated as the defendant, however, he faces charges as a creator of the record label company. 

Cooper was an executive co-producer of the upcoming film, Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told–a documentary set to be released in 2024 and portrays an Atlanta Historically Black College and University picnic that erupted into a very influential street party. Cooper declares that she was working as a former executive producer on this film where she allegedly experienced alleged racial discrimination in the workplace.

Cooper specifically claims senior vice president of the company Jenya Meggs, along with executive co-producer Peter Bittenbendr allegedly removed her from various projects. The specification of races within the lawsuit provides further context to the allegations. Text messages obtained by Cooper’s legal team revealed a conversation between Meggs and another executive producer Terry Ross, where Meggs allegedly showed frustration towards Cooper for being hired by Bittenbender to work on the upcoming film instead of her. Meggs allegedly wrote that this decision was “Usual white folk behavior,” and “These white folk something else.”

Tensions between the two Mass Appeal employees heated up in 2022 when eventually Meggs allegedly told Bittenbender that she wouldn’t work with Cooper anymore. The lawsuit states, “Bittenbender [allegedly] removed Cooper from a number of projects, including Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 Live concert at Yankee Stadium planned for August 11, 2023. Cooper’s [alleged] removal from this important project, along with others Meggs was staffed on, effectively stripped Cooper of her primary role at Mass Appeal.”

By 2023, Cooper was eventually fired and alleges that there was no investigation into her alleged racial discrimination claims by the company. The lawsuit states, “Instead, Bittenbender and Mass Appeal terminated Cooper on June 30, 2023 while continuing to employ Meggs.” 

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna