Talib Kweli Claims American Air Threatened To Have Him Arrested

BY Erika Marie 1.8K Views
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Rapper Talib Kweli appears backstage when they attend City Winery Presents: Harry Belafonte's 93rd Birthday Celebration at The Apollo Theater on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
The Rap icon shared several videos of the interactions with a flight attendant, their supervisor, and police.

There was a tense moment on a recent flight after Talib Kweli got into a disagreement with the staff. The Black Star icon shared the ordeal on social media, posting several videos of the escalation. Things seemed to have ignited after Kweli was told that his carry-on item didn't fit underneath his seat. In one video, viewers can hear the rapper explaining why the bag fits securely.

The situation developed into an uncomfortable exchange after Kweli says American Air threatened to have him arrested. “After clearing my bag with the gate agent, flight attendant Sky Seaglass tells me my bag is too big and I must check it," Kweli wrote on Instagram.

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"I asked why, so he got annoyed and called his supervisor. The supervisor tells me it’s her decision whether I fly or not. That’s an important detail.”

“The supervisor sees that the attendant Seaglass was wrong about my bag and walks me to my seat and says l’m good to fly,” Kweli further shared. “Moments later the supervisor comes back and tells me that if I do not obey the flight attendant while in the air, I will go to jail. The whole time, Seaglass, who I’m not talking to at all, is telling people he feels 'unsafe.'”

Then, the rapper says the supervisor returned to tell him he "must leave the plane." He said he felt "that's a violation of my human rights" before she told him to stop recording.

"Even though earlier she said I could record," he said.

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All passengers were then instructed to leave the plane as Kweli sat by.

“They then send 3 police officers in. Police expressed surprise that @americanair crew threatened me with arrest and said only the police can make that call. Cops then say ‘we got called out for nothing’ and ‘you didn’t do anything wrong.’ It’s right there on video.”

American Air has yet to address the controversy.

[via]

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.