Chika is shedding more light on the hurdles she faces within the industry.
On Saturday, the Grammy-nominated rapper hit up Twitter to call out Brandon Anthony, a Los Angeles nightclub promoter who allegedly hired her for a Black Pride event last Friday. Chika claimed she was offered $2,000 to host the party at The Chapel in West Hollywood, but was disrespected during and after the gig. She pointed out that her name and likeness were used on event flyers, but none of her songs were played that night. Furthermore, Chika claimed she did not receive any complimentary bottles for her appearance, and was left covering a $1,600 tab.
“Would you believe me if I said I ain’t hear one song of mine at an event ‘hosted’ as a favor in the first place?” she wrote. “And still covered the tab.”
Kehlani was in attendance that night and has since gone to Twitter to back Chika’s claims and to express her support for the Alabama rapper.
“I came as a friend to support Chika, & one of the DJ’s. using her image, name and likeness for the face of the event while treating her like this during and after,” Kehlani tweeted. “Me and all the homies stand with you Chi that wasn’t cool.”
Chika also shared screenshots of comments purportedly posted by Anthony in response to her complaints. The first message dismissed her grievances and claimed she played no role in drawing a crowd for the event: “Girl grow tf up,” the post read. “The people was not there to see yo ass anyway. I promise you.”
Shortly after Chika called out Anthony, transgender model/actress Amiyah Scott leveled her own accusations against the promoter. She responded to one of Chika’s tweets, claiming Anthony had physically assaulted her on the night of the Black Pride event.
It's unclear if Anthony has responded to the allegations.
Chika reiterated that she agreed to do the gig as a “favor” for a friend, and that it was never about money. She also posted a screenshot of a conversation that took place prior to the event; it showed an unidentified user explaining what the night would consist of and how Chika would be compensated.
However, after Chika publicly expressed her frustration over the event, the situation quickly escalated into personal insults. The rapper got into a heated Twitter exchange with Anthony, who seemingly took jabs at Chika’s talent and looks.
Screenshots posted by the rapper showed Anthony calling “Chika Fat Sticks” and saying her “music sucks.”
“My comments been limited before your comments,” he claimed in since-deleted tweets. “So do your research. I don’t care about you. Never did. The club was packed before you stepped yo heavy ass in the building. We actually needed the space. So you didn’t have to show up. One thing about me…I WILL REMAIN UNBOTHERED. Go in the study and get a number one hit. You lost your wallet and your mind.
“One things about me is I never gave a fuck about you being there. It was because no one else cares who you are. So I gave you roses. Sorry you felt a thorn.”
LA Black Pride has since issued an apology to Chika via Instagram on Monday. The organization behind the event said its team was sorry for making Chika and Kehlani “feel undervalued, underrepresented or underserved.”
Chika called the apology “performative bullshit,” and encouraged her followers to boycott 2021 LA Black Pride events, “and instead donate that ticket money to organizations that support black LGBTQ+ homeless youth. These fraud promoters collecting black queer money when we got real issues at hand.”
The rapper went on to ask her followers to “jump” Anthony, and said she was ready to accept any legal consequences if the assault went down.
“This is me, Chika, with my full chest, soliciting a crime over the internet. Somebody pls jump him. Thanks,” she wrote. “LAPD, y’all know where to find me. And i hope you have a reason to.”
Thankfully, the tensions had seemingly fizzled out by Tuesday afternoon without any reports of physical violence.
You can read Chika’s tweets below.
