Rapper Tone Loc was briefly detained at a Texas airport after an explosive confrontation with a teenager over his hat.
The rapper, whose real name is Anthony Terrell Smith, was not triggered by a Make America Great Again hat, but by the white teen’s cap with a Confederate flag on it, according to KOSA-TV.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, caught the foul-mouthed exchange at Midland International Air & Space Port in a video that shows the 53-year-old musician and producer calling out the young boy at baggage claim, slamming him for wearing the controversial symbol.
‘How are you going to wear that in front of a black man?’ Smith said to the teen, a witness told KMID-TV.
The boy’s parents told Smith he had no right to speak to their son in that manner and pointed out that he is a minor, prompting an apology from Smith. However, he pressed the issue that the boy should not be wearing anything with a Confederate flag symbol.
The argument escalated as the mother yelled, “You ain’t nobody!” at the rapper who is known for the ’80s hits “Funky Cold Medina” and “Wild Thing.”
Smith physically confronted the father, yelling at his face, “F**k your Confederate sh**!”
The man could be heard in the video telling the rapper that his son could wear “whatever the f**k he wants,” while the mother told Smith, “You know why he can wear it? Because it’s f***ing America! Freedom of speech! Freedom of religion!”
The rapper’s heated and profane confrontation was cut short when security agents arrived and handcuffed him, according to KMID.
Although he was detained, Smith was not arrested, according to a spokesperson for the City of Midland. The witness shooting the video noted that shortly after the recording ended, the rapper and the family decided to go their separate ways with no charges being filed.
Smith explained the origin of his stage name to Billboard earlier this year as his debut album “Lōc-ed After Dark” turned 30 in January.
“The name Lōc, a lot of people don’t know, is a gang name,” the raspy-voiced rapper explained. “It’s a Crip name. So by me adopting that name, and my records not necessarily being gangsta, I was still kinda up in that realm because I used that name. But only people from Los Angeles would know that.”
Smith has taken a career stint as an actor, appearing in the 1994 film, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” which starred Jim Carrey as well as roles in films like “Blank Check” and “Heat.” Smith also made guest appearances in several series from the 1990s, including “NewsRadio,” “Touched by an Angel,” and “Martin.”
The Grammy Award nominee has had some past run-ins with the law, having been arrested in 2010 for an alleged DUI which he claimed was actually a seizure he had behind the wheel due to a medical condition. In June 2011, he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in Southern California after an alleged physical quarrel with the mother of one of his children.
Smith posted $50,000 bail and was free in a few hours. Later that year, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one day in county jail, three years of probation, 52 weeks of anger management counseling and 30 days of community service.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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