Talib Kweli confronted security guards at a Black Star concert at the O2 Apollo Manchester venue in England on Nov. 15, video shows.
In footage obtained by TMZ, Kweli can be seen screaming at the top of his lungs at a security guard backstage. The security worker apparently walked onstage during the show when the artist was one minute past the 11 p.m. curfew.
“Who the fuck they think they are!” Kweli bellowed as one of the guards stood in front of him. He was asked to be calm, but the rapper stood his ground as the security guard began to back away.
“Exactly, walk away,” Kweli yelled. “You’re not a man at all.”
Onlookers nearby cheered as Kweli continued his verbal onslaught then confronted another nearby guard. The rapper ranted about how the incident wouldn't have happened if he was a white artist.
In a lengthy statement to TMZ, Kweli explained what happened.
“When I came off stage, I asked to speak to the man who came on the stage,” he said. “I was instead greeted by aggressive security guards who began to disrespect me immediately, so I argued with them and held them accountable for how they treated us as guests who helped the venue make money. O2 Manchester called security on their main act for the night to enforce us leaving the stage at 11 p.m., even though we were already in the process of leaving the stage at that exact time.”
Kweli said that the reason the show ran late was that the venue decided to push the show's time back without informing Black Star, his hip-hop duo with Yasiin Bey. (Complex reached out to the venue and requested comment.)
“What you are never supposed to do is walk on stage during the show,” Kweli said. “You are also never supposed to call security on the artist. The security is supposed to be protecting the artist, not treating the artist like some unwelcome criminal. O2 Manchester owes Black Star, Black Star management, and Black Star fans an apology for the way they treated us.”