‘That Dude Don’t Stand For Nothing In The Hood:’ Tionna Smalls Rips Into Jay Z’s Barneys Response -
Yesterday we told you that hip hop mogul Jay Z finally issued a response to growing concerns in the Black community regarding his business partnership with luxury department store chain, Barneys New York. The controversy began after the company made headlines for allegedly using racial profiling tactics in an attempt to cut down on fraud. The methods unfortunately led to the unjust arrest of 19-year-old Trayon Christian and the questioning of 21-year-old Kayla Phillips. Both young adults are now suing the luxury retailer. In response to a petition urging the 43-year-old Brooklynite to take a stand and end his business deal with Barneys, Jay issued an official statement.
Many of you predicted that he would continue to straddle the fence, never truly taking a stand either way. And according to some, that’s exactly what he did.
“Making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project, wouldn’t hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education. I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn’t harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration,” an excerpt from his statement reads.
As with anything, there are mixed feelings regarding his response. Some feel that he’s totally justified in not jumping the gun and cutting ties with Barneys. Others found it to be a total cop out. One of those people happen to be MTV’s Girl Get Your Mind Right star, Tionna Smalls. The outspoken Brooklynite took to her Twitter page to blast the rapper for his lukewarm stance.
“That’s why we keep getting sh***ed on because the ones who are in the talented 10th don’t take a stand. #wack.
After a certain amount of zeros, you become one of them no longer relating to one of us! #classism,” Tionna wrote.
“The boy who bought the Ferragamo belt and the girl who bought the Celine bag wanted to be like stars when they bought those items. Not knowing that stars don’t give an F when Shyte hit the fan. I was that girl saving my $$$ to get nice ish. So I’m 100% against Barneys!Everybody admire Jay-Z for what? I really see what people were telling me years ago. That dude don’t stand for nothing in the hood!” she continued.
She went on to address the widespread credit scams, which is believed to be part of the reason that Barneys has gotten more aggressive with their loss prevention tactics.
“Yall credit card scammers get me phucking sick too cuz it’s a lot of yall fault why law biding, young, blacks are stopped!If your stomach don’t hurt after seeing this cover of the NY Daily News- I have to question your humanity! Geesh!”
“Jay-Z has more power in the black community than anyone and I swear to God, Allah, Buddah, &Jesus that he never uses it the right way! #sick. STAND FOR SOMETHING OR YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING! Now everyone is going to act like Jay-Z dont have any power in the hood! Stop it! I am done. Jay-Z pissed me off and I’m over it.”
- See more at: http://madamenoire.com/316756/mtv-star-tio...
Many of you predicted that he would continue to straddle the fence, never truly taking a stand either way. And according to some, that’s exactly what he did.
“Making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project, wouldn’t hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education. I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn’t harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration,” an excerpt from his statement reads.
As with anything, there are mixed feelings regarding his response. Some feel that he’s totally justified in not jumping the gun and cutting ties with Barneys. Others found it to be a total cop out. One of those people happen to be MTV’s Girl Get Your Mind Right star, Tionna Smalls. The outspoken Brooklynite took to her Twitter page to blast the rapper for his lukewarm stance.
“That’s why we keep getting sh***ed on because the ones who are in the talented 10th don’t take a stand. #wack.
After a certain amount of zeros, you become one of them no longer relating to one of us! #classism,” Tionna wrote.
“The boy who bought the Ferragamo belt and the girl who bought the Celine bag wanted to be like stars when they bought those items. Not knowing that stars don’t give an F when Shyte hit the fan. I was that girl saving my $$$ to get nice ish. So I’m 100% against Barneys!Everybody admire Jay-Z for what? I really see what people were telling me years ago. That dude don’t stand for nothing in the hood!” she continued.
She went on to address the widespread credit scams, which is believed to be part of the reason that Barneys has gotten more aggressive with their loss prevention tactics.
“Yall credit card scammers get me phucking sick too cuz it’s a lot of yall fault why law biding, young, blacks are stopped!If your stomach don’t hurt after seeing this cover of the NY Daily News- I have to question your humanity! Geesh!”
“Jay-Z has more power in the black community than anyone and I swear to God, Allah, Buddah, &Jesus that he never uses it the right way! #sick. STAND FOR SOMETHING OR YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING! Now everyone is going to act like Jay-Z dont have any power in the hood! Stop it! I am done. Jay-Z pissed me off and I’m over it.”
- See more at: http://madamenoire.com/316756/mtv-star-tio...
despite the racial profiling allegations against the store, the only thing left to do is party, right?
Well, not so fast. The luxury retailer has cancelled the kickoff party that was scheduled for this Wednesday, November 20, at its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York City.
According to WWD, Barneys issued the following statement: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the event has been cancelled.”
Although it's unclear whether the event was cancelled due to the racial discrimination lawsuits, -- a call to Barneys vice president of public relations & special events wasn't immediately returned -- we can't say we're surprised. Folks are still fired up about the partnership between the rapper-turned-mogul and high-end department store. And with so much negativity surrounding the venture, we think celebrating pricey clothes and accessories seems a bit silly, and we're not the only ones who feel that way.
“Any African-American, male or female, with any consciousness of what has happened would not go into Barneys right now. Nor Macy’s.” André Leon Talley, the former editor-at-large of Vogue, told The New York Times.
As one of the conditions attached to Jay Z's renewed commitment to the Barneys collaboration, the rapper is taking a leadership role in helping to solve the issue of racial profiling. "I am in a unique position to use my voice to affect change to this disturbing issue," the star said in a statement released Friday.
In the meantime, Jay's "A New York Holiday" will launch, sans soirée, on Wednesday. We'll have to wait and see how well the collection sells. Stay tuned.