A member of Waka Flocka Flame’s entourage wearing a swastika T-shirt has sparked fury after donning the hateful garment and joining the rapper on stage during a concert in New Orleans this weekend.
The shocking scenes reportedly took place at Ohm Lounge, a cocktail bar and venue close to Lafayette Square where the Atlanta-based rapper was performing on Friday night.
Two pictures of the man wearing the sleeveless shirt emblazoned with the Nazi hate symbol were shared by an appalled relative of a concert-goer who snapped the pictures in a post on Reddit.
“So my cousin goes to school down in NOLA and went to a Waka Flocka set at Ohm Lounge last night… this was the back of one of his friends/crew member’s shirt. Literally appalled,” the Reddit user wrote.
Staff allegedly refused to remove the man, who is said to be a New Orleans-based artist, according to reports from witnesses on X, while those who booed him were reportedly threatened with expulsion from the venue.
Ohm Lounge’s management has claimed it was only “made aware” of the disgusting display after the performance and said it was updating policies and training staff to prevent any similar incidents in the future.
“We regret that this occurred within our space and are taking immediate action to ensure it does not happen again,” the club’s ownership and management wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.
However, its statement included a bizarre suggestion that the T-shirt may have been a form of “satire” on the part of the artist.
“The front of the shirt appears to reference political conflict and may have been meant as a form of satire,” the statement continued. “However, no explanation has been provided, and regardless of the message or purpose, wearing such a symbol in any context is deeply offensive and completely unacceptable.”
Critics have poured scorn on claims by the venue’s management that they only found out about the stunt after the performance.
New allegations claim the club’s owner, Billy Blatty, was not only present during the performance, but was in the crowd and even standing near the performer wearing the offensive garment.
Denouncing the “non-apology from Ohm Lounge and their owner Billy Blatty,” local advocate Crista Rock claimed that “there are many people now saying that Billy himself was not only there that night, but standing next to the performer who was wearing the gigantic swastika on his back,” in a viral Facebook post.
Representatives for Waka Flocka Flame, Ohm Lounge, and the New Orleans Police Department did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Many patrons were horrified by the scenes at the venue, with some claiming they walked out on seeing the offensive symbol.
“Came to Waka Flocka’s show last night in New Orleans at Ohm Lounge, and this was the vibe. so this is what you support????” one X user wrote, sharing video of the man on stage with the swastika clearly visible.
Tagging the rapper, she added, “This your friend, right? Y’all are so weird for that. You lost me as a listener cuz what? I walked out.”
“No big deal, Waka Flocka performing with a dude wearing a swastika. Then tried to get the people booing him kicked out,” a second X user added, sharing a picture from the night.
Read the full article here
