His bad. Rapper 50 Cent came under fire on Tuesday, May 3, after he posted a short video clip of himself making fun of autistic airport employee Andrew Farrell.
In the since-deleted Instagram video, the “In da Club” rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, could be heard saying the “new generation is crazy” as he followed Farrell, 19, around the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport.
Farrell, who works as a custodian at the airport, did not appear to respond to 50 Cent’s taunts.
According to the BBC, Instagram user Rusty Stone identified the man as his former high school classmate and called the 40-year-old rapper out on his mean mistake.
“I went to school with him,” Stone wrote. “He has extreme social difficulties, just to let you know. He has a hard enough time getting through life without jacka–es like you making fun of him. I hope you feel good about yourself. You just lost a huge fan.”
After many other commenters similarly bashed 50 Cent for his insensitive antics, the rapper released a public apology to both Farrell’s family and anyone he may have offended.
“While the incident at the airport resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding, I am truly sorry for offending the young man,” he said in a statement. “It was certainly not my intent to insult him or the disability community, which is a source of great strength in America. I have apologized personally to him and his family.”
Farrell’s family has since accepted 50 Cent’s apology, but are hoping that the rapper makes a donation to Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the condition.
“We would first like to thank everyone for the amazing amount of support that they have shown over the past few days,” the family said in a statement. “It has been an emotional roller coaster that we are ready to put to rest. … Though a letter of apology will not undo what 50 Cent has put our family through, we are choosing to forgive.”
“A great lesson can be learned from this heartbreaking situation,” the statement continues. “Regardless of the way that another person appears to you, it is never OK to publicly humiliate them via social media.”
50 Cent has yet to respond to the family’s request for a donation to Autism Speaks.
