Rapper Meek Mill threatening litigation against Cosmopolitan
Rapper Meek Mill has accused the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas of being racist after being turned away from the resort on Saturday afternoon.
“If you come from our culture you should never step foot in the cosmopolitan hotel they just really racist as hell …. something really has to be done in Las Vegas what they doing to black people,” Mill, a resident headliner at Drai’s Nightclub at the Cromwell, posted on his official Twitter account.
The message was among several social media posts lashing out at the Strip hotel-casino after Mill and what seem to be three members of his entourage were intercepted by a Cosmopolitan security official.
The cosmopolitan hotel .... and it’s a few other hotels that be doing this to black entertainers because they don’t want too many blacks on they property! Vegas notorious for this too its not just me!!!! pic.twitter.com/HPySp2nh8h
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 25, 2019
In a video obtained by TMZ and posted on Mill’s Twitter account, the rapper is shown asking why he’s being turned away. The staffer says it is not his decision and this is “way bigger than me.”
A Cosmopolitan spokeswoman responded Sunday morning to requests for a comment with a statement: “As a matter of company policy, we do not comment on legal matters. Our guests’ safety and security always remains our top priority.”
In the video, the Cosmopolitan employee says Mill and his security team “can reach out to our vice president.” The Cosmopolitan’s VP is Dave Logue, a 29-year veteran of the Metro police force and former director of security at Wynn Las Vegas who joined the Cosmo in 2015.
Arrested for what????? #Cosmopolitanvegss pic.twitter.com/5OvmGBrXKv
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 26, 2019
Mill, whose legal name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, was at the hotel to attend a DJ Mustard set at Marquee Dayclub. Mustard is a resident DJ at the hotel’s dayclub and nightclub.
In a phone conversation today, Mill’s New York attorney Joe Tacopina said said hotel security had learned his client was planning to attend the show and was waiting to turn him away. Mill showed up at about 3:30 p.m.
“He didn’t even get out of the car, and was threatened with being arrested if he did leave the car,” Tacopina said. “He was given no clue why. It was just an order.”
They telling black rappers they are banned from properties they own without incident ... they just told me I was trespassing and I will be arrested I stepped in that hotel once at a jayz party without incident!
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 25, 2019
When asked if he intended to pursue legal action against the hotel, Tacopina said, “Absolutely.”
TMZ also posted a letter written by Tacopina to the hotel on Mill’s behalf: “… we have learned that the Cosmopolitan maintains a list of African American recording artists who should be denied access for no other reason than than their culture and skin color. Such course of conduct constitutes discrimination per se, in violation of state and federal law, and exposes you to significant monetary damages.” Tacopina also demanded that the hotel apologize to Mill and grant him immediate access to the property.
Tacopina did not specify which other Las Vegas resorts were discriminating against black rappers.
In his social media barrage, Mill also tweeted the allegation, “They telling black rappers they are banned from properties they own without incident … they just told me I was trespassing and I will be arrested I stepped in that hotel once at a jay z party without incident!”
That Jay Z event was five years ago, when Mill was dating hip-hop star Nicki Minaj, with whom he attended the party.
On Thursday, Mill attended DJ Mustard’s set at the Tao Thursday nightclub party at The Venetian with no reported incident. Mill’s next scheduled appearance at Drai’s is July 6.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
