Well-known Bay Area rapper E-40 released a statement explaining why he got removed from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento by security during Game 1 of the Western Conference first round series.
In a statement posted Sunday morning, E-40 alleged racial bias played a part in his ouster. He also called for the Sacramento Kings to investigate the behavior of their security employees.
Videos showed E-40 getting kicked out of the Warriors-Kings playoff game Saturday night. He said, in a statement tweeted by Andscape reporter Marc J. Spears, that he was getting heckled by Kings fans before eventually turned around and addressed one in a “assertive but polite manner.”
“Shortly thereafter,” E-40 wrote, “Kings’ security approached me, assumed that I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena.”
E-40 is a staple at many Bay Area sporting events, including Warriors games. Getting kicked out of the Kings game was traumatic for him, partly because he felt discriminated against.
“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent,” E-40 wrote. “Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed I was at fault.”
The version of events in E-40’s statement is consistent with that of an eyewitness who told The Mercury News that a female fan was yelling at the rapper to sit down throughout the game, leading E-40 to retort back at one point.
“I was absolutely humiliated by the Kings’ security team and I’m calling on the franchise to investigate the appalling conduct that transpired,” E-40 wrote.
Spears later reported that sources told him E-40 refused to comply with warnings from security personnel for standing excessively; a source close to the rapper said no such warning was given.
