Rap Legend E-40 Says Racial Bias Led to Being Removed from Warriors vs. Kings Game

Bay Area rap legend E-40 is asking the Sacramento Kings to investigate the action of employees at their Golden 1 Center after he was removed from the arena during Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

E-40, who is Black, says racial profiling led to him being kicked out after a verbal altercation with a white woman:

"The Sacramento Kings take these claims seriously and are investigating the facts and circumstances regarding the situation, as we do anytime an accusation like this is made," the Kings said in a statement.

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported arena security believed E-40 was "standing excessively" and was the subject of complaints by fans. While Golden 1 Center sources said E-40 did not comply with warnings regarding his behavior, a source close to E-40 told Spears no arena workers ever issued a warning.

Fan video from the arena show the rapper being escorted out by security. During his discussion with arena workers, E-40 becomes visibly agitated by the situation, leading to several more employees coming over to remove him:

No video evidence has been made publicly available showing the altercation between E-40 and the woman. According to the statement released by the rapper, the woman had been heckling him the entire game, and he turned around and said something to her in an "assertive but polite manner."

He did not go into detail as to what he said. Immediately after the verbal sparring with the woman, Kings security came over and removed him from the arena, at which point he became visibly frustrated.

"Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that—despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur—racial bias remains prevalent," E-40 wrote in the statement. "Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed I was at fault."

One of the most prominent figures in Bay Area rap history, E-40 has been a regular at NBA games for decades. He was among the highest-profile Warriors fans during the team's downtrodden era and remained so as the team has grown to one of the most successful franchises in basketball.