Controversy with interpreter at Big Daddy Kane concert

Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter:

This recent weekend a controversy sparked up between the Deaf community and a famous rapper named Big Daddy Kane. I will sign it as this- BDK. There was a viral video showing Big Daddy Kane pushing an ASL interpreter to the side of the stage.

(Video clip showing the rapper Big Daddy Kane performing onstage. There is an interpreter at the side of the stage. Kane uses his right arm to slowly push the interpreter “out of the way.” The interpreter walks backwards, but keeps on interpreting. He then takes a few steps forward. Kane then slowly pushes him a second time, putting the interpreter behind the speakers from the camera’s point of view)

Renca: Aarron Loggins, who is a Deaf actor, performer, and the National Anthem signer for the Super Bowl in 2019, posted that short clip on his Instagram. To clarify, Aarron did not go to the concert, but someone from the concert sent the video to him and he posted it. That video went viral. A lot of people were angry and confused.

When that video went viral, it did reach Big Daddy Kane, who has over 800k followers on Instagram, and when he saw the video, he posted a comment.

(FULL SCREEN)

[IG/@officialbigdaddykane] “... I blocked everyone else that was jumping to conclusions for their 5 minutes of fame, but I will answer you because of the way you put it. No one told me or my manager that an interpreter was gonna be on stage, so I thought he was someone from the crowd that just jumped on stage trying to be noticed. Once they told me who he was I quickly apologized to him and told the crowd it was cool because I want everyone to enjoy the show. That is what REALLY happened. Anyone can film a section of an event and create a false narrative for their personal gain. I’m giving you the facts though.”

Dunn: Wawa Snipe, a Deaf actor, and musician, also known for his National Anthem performance at the Super Bowl 2021, posted a video about this situation and explained his perspective. He said that there are two sides to the same coin and that we need to make sure we have all the information first.

Video clip: [Wawa: “Whoa, there are 2 side of the same coin.”]

Renca: We have included a link to his full video in this transcript. Big Daddy Kane posted a comment under his video.

[FULL SCREEN IMAGE]

[Screenshot of Wawa’s video with a comment by Kane] IG/@offiicalbigdaddykane: “No need to assume, I’ll give you my side. I thought he was someone from the crowd that just jumped on stage and tried to get some shine. (But yes, I am very selfish about my stage. (three crying laugh emojis). Seriously though, I had no idea he was an interpreter until my D.J. told me after the song ended. At that point I went over and dapped him up and thoroughly apologized! Then turned to the crowd and apologized and said it’s cool because I want EVERYONE to enjoy the show. (Meaning the deaf people in attendance too) Interpreters at a Hip Hop show is not a normal thing and the promoters never told me he was gonna be on stage. It’s sad that no one posted that part, instead of feeding into a false narrative. Peace Unto You!”

Renca: Big Daddy Kane mentioned that he did apologize to the interpreter in front of the audience and wished that people saw that video clip too. The interpreter’s name is Billy Sanders.

We reached out to Wawa for his comment because Big Daddy Kane responded to him. Wawa explained to us that Big Daddy Kane and Wawa did connect and talked about this situation. He said that now Big Daddy Kane understands and he was very respectable and civil throughout their entire conversation.

After the dialogue, Big Daddy Kane posted an apology video on his Instagram, showing the clip of him pushing the interpreter and the clip of him apologizing. He thanked Wawa for his support.

[FULL SCREEN IMAGE]

[@officialbigdaddykane: “Just realizing the whole video didn’t post. Here we go! Also, I just found out the Brothers name. Billy Sanders my sincere apology Bro.”

Renca: His video did not have subtitles, but a deaf person named Darrius Doe did interpret in ASL with subtitles. We will show a short clip.

[Video by Darrius Doe as interpreter for Kane’s video] “But see, what y’all didn’t see is this. [Video clip showing Kane walking on stage, during the performance, to the interpreter.] “They ain’t tell me what was going on. [Kane and the interpreter shake hands] “All right. [Kane walks to his own area on the stage] “No, no no. Understand one thing, I want everyone to enjoy it. You feel me. I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff in my life. But I would never try to disrespect an interpreter that’s just doing sign language for the deaf community on stage. No one told me what was going on.”

Renca: That was what happened with the community’s response and Big Daddy Kane’s response. Now, we reached out to the Deaf people who were there at the event to share their side of the story about what happened.

In the Zoom interview, it was Supalee, Aarron Loggins, and myself. There were 13 deaf people who went and Supalee was the one who arranged that with the help of Tara Miles. Supalee contacted the manager to arrange interpreters, et cetera. Supalee was the one who recorded what happened and sent it to Aarron (who did not go to the concert) who posted it on his Instagram. Now, here is the interview.

[Zoom video interview with Renca, Aarron Loggins, and Supalee]

Supalee: I just got there – before I went, I asked if there was an interpreter present. They said yes. So when I got there, our seats were just left of the stage area. You know, there are different sections around the front of the stage, the center and the sides. Ours was on the left side. I felt we should have been in the center part. But I went with it. When we sat, the interpreter was right in front of us in the left side area. Right in front of our seats, while the stage was off in a different direction. So it was hard for me to see both the interpreter and the stage. If I got up and danced, I would have blocked other deaf people behind me because they couldn’t see the interpreter. So I felt conflicted. I told the manager that the interpreter placement didn’t work for us. I asked if the interpreter could be moved to the front so we could see everything clearly. The manager said it was fine. The manager tried to move him somewhere, but there was no place for the interpreter, really. The only place was on the stage, at the corner. There was one problem, there were not enough lights. We complained about that. But we decided to just go ahead with it. The show went on with different artists coming up and rapping. The interpreter was working, and it was good. Then Big Daddy Kane came onstage. We were excited and when he walked to the interpreter, we thought he would rap with the interpreter, you know, maybe challenge him, we see that sometimes. I had my phone ready to record it and then he pushed away the interpreter. We felt really discouraged. What for? Why did you push the interpreter away? Some people with us felt really negative emotions. So, the interpreter kept on going, trying to interpret, but he was pushed aside again. We felt really sad and confused about what was going on. Did they not want us there? So, (Kane) did realize it and apologize, but at the same time…

Renca: In front of everyone?

Supalee: To the interpreter, to the audience. Really, it was hard to see the interpreter because he was in the corner and it was dark. We saw (Kane) speaking and we assumed it was an apology. He stopped his music to apologize. Then he went ahead with his show. But we felt deflated. Did he just act out an apology and go on as if nothing happened? It was hard for us to move on because we paid good money for the seats. The seats cost money. So we tried to move on but it was too late because we already felt rejected. You know?

[End Zoom interview]

Renca: There was also a concern raised about why there was one interpreter for 4 hours. Here is what Supalee explained.

[Begin Zoom interview]

Renca: With the other performers who came onstage, there were no problems? Until Big Daddy Kane came, then the situation happened?

Supalee: Right. Yes.

Renca: Was it at the middle of the show, or at the beginning? Which part?

Supalee: Okay, the show was four hours long. Very long. They only had one interpreter. Yes, for four hours! When we got there, that interpreter told me there was supposed to be another interpreter, but we didn’t see anyone else there. There were two other interpreters who backed out. So now there’s just one interpreter. I asked if he would go ahead and do it all by himself, and he said he had no choice. It was just him. If he left, then our money would be worth nothing. So he went ahead and did the interpreting all the way. From 8 pm to midnight.

Renca: Wow.

[End Zoom interview]

Renca: Aarron explained why he felt it was important to get the community’s attention about this video.

[Begin Zoom Interview]

Aarron: I’m not here to single out Big Daddy Kane, no. I want to inform all hearing artists to be open-minded when providing interpreters because every concert, I mean every concert we go to, deaf people want to feel equal. Equity is important. Why repeat this? What if after they reject (interpreters), other artists will notice and copy what he did? Will that mean that during the next concert, another interpreter will get rejected, and could it become a pattern? We have to stop it right there before it becomes a pattern. So that’s where we had to stand up from there.

[End Zoom interview]

Renca: Both Supalee and Aarron said it is our right to enjoy the concerts. They encourage deaf people to not be passive and accept the idea that accessibility cannot be provided, but be aggressive to speak up, take a stand, and fight for access to be provided so Deaf people can equally enjoy the concert.

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Renca: We did also reach out to Tara Miles too. Tara and I chatted through video chat as she explained her perspective. She did mention that Big Daddy Kane apologized twice on stage. When Big Daddy Kane pushed the interpreter, it was his DJ that told him that it was a sign language interpreter. That’s when he realized his mistake.

Tara said that she did feel so discouraged when she saw Big Daddy Kane do that, but felt better after he apologized. However, she said that it is important for all of us to listen to all sides and not to assume what happened. She mentioned that she accepts Big Daddy Kane’s apology and sees this as a learning opportunity for all of us, but especially for Big Daddy Kane.

That pretty much sums up the controversy that happened this weekend coming from all sides. There was one thing in common that Wawa, Aarron, Supalee, and Tara all said was that we need to continue to educate and expose artists, stage managers, directors, everyone else on stage, and behind stage about inclusivity and how we can work towards equal access for everyone.

Links:
Aarron Loggins post of the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYvW_YOAPqK/

Wawa's video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwRUMAB8IV/

Big Daddy Kane’s original apology video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwyi8CIQmU/

Darrius Doe ASL interpretation of BDK’s apology: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYw71zsA5FC/