Photo: Jim Jones is seen on stage on May 31, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
Hip-hop executive Jim Jones went shopping in some of New York City’s high-end luxury stores on Feb. 8 for footage for a music video. While shooting a video for the song “Goin Shopping,” Jones and his entourage hit a Gucci store where he said he was racially profiled and not given VIP treatment.
He called out Gucci in a series of videos on social media but Black America shot back on Twitter about his wealthy-people problems.
Here’s what happened.
Jones recorded on Instagram his day of shopping on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. Accompanied by fellow artist 5ive Mics, they stopped at the Gucci store. There, Jones said he was inside the VIP lounge for more than an hour and received no customer service. He said there wasn’t a salesperson helping him, and he wasn’t even offered “a drink of sparkling water” or “Champagne.” Jones said he asked to speak to a manager and “everyone disappeared.”
“I asked to speak to a manager. They sent out a Black guy who started telling me some [bullsh*t.] So they got the Black guy racially profiling on Black people… I’m tired of this. We spending all this money as entertainers inside these stores. They hire these Black people and these Black people are more racist than white people when they get their job inside of Gucci,” he said in the Instagram video.
Jones said he racked up a $29,000 bill at the Gucci store before heading to Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store.
“Big difference in Bergdorf,” Jones said in another video, showing off mini-bottles of Champagne.
The crew went to Louis Vuitton and then GB’s Sneaker Store, according to more video clips on Instagram.
“Gucci really some suckers,” Jones posted later on social media. “And for those [looking] I’m from the outside [saying] this is some rich privilege [sh*t] it’s really not, it’s about [treating] people with respect no matter the race or [what you] may think [you] know about a person. And for people [saying] that’s spending money foolishly [you] never know [what] a person been [through so you] should never worry about what a person does with his.”
Jones added in the video’s caption, “And just like tht shit went bad in gucci I was more hurt tht th black people was treating us like tht more thn anything,” he explained. “Very racy and all we wanted was some water sparkling water cause I was parched to be been shoppin for a long time. I’m usually drunk by time I leave stores like this cause they be servin tht Champaign smh.”
Many on Twitter said Jones was misguided, including journalist Torraine Walker, founder of Context Media Group.
“Black celebrities have the same obsession with being validated by European designers that fanatic swirlers have with being found attractive by mediocre Brads. I want them both to emancipate themselves from mental slavery,” Walker tweeted.
“Jim Jones you could have kept this video, you are inside a fashion house’s store that has historically been racist and you’re complaining about sparkling water and champagne bottle service begging to be served because you dropped 29 bands for VIP treatment, R U serious?” asked Mark Stevenson @m_stevenson78.
Others called out Jones for making this a social issue when there are other more urgent social issues for Black Americans.
“The Jim jones situation is the most embarrassing sh*t ever. N*gga went live on ig on some social justice warrior sh*t over Gucci,” tweeted Woodz @Nibiru1000.
“There are far more pressing things for us to be worrying about in this sick world than Jim Jones crying about not getting his ass kissed in a racist fashion house He still stayed in there and handed them $29,000 like a big bozo… even with that his loud mouth,” tweeted Ash @ashindestad.
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Others were confused about what point Jones was trying to make in his postings.
“1)was this supposed to be a indictment of Gucci or that one store in particular 2)you’re a 45 year old millionaire and don’t know how to file a corporate grievance thru the proper channels 3)you still spent $29,000 and then adamant about finding some other white stores to shop in,” tweeted I’m Me & You’re You.
“Jim Jones crying in the Gucci store about bad customer service during Black History Month is so embarrassing,” tweeted NUFF.
“#BlackHistoryMonth and Jim Jones want us to feel bad he got racially profiled in Gucci? When he could have spent that money on a black owned luxury brand? Lmao,” tweeted Twig (@twighoffIt’s).
“Jim Jones on the internet complaining about bad service at the Gucci store 1 – we don’t give a shit 2 – WHY YALL STILL SHOPPING WHERE YOU NOT WANTED?! Man said, “We got $29k worth of stuff not paid for, YET” EXCUSE ME?!?! YET?!?! asked Dara Danielle (@PintSizeNurse_Not).
Photo: Jim Jones is seen on stage on May 31, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
