Charlamagne Tha God has urged rappers to reconsider the company they keep, cautioning that the mess caused by their entourages might get them in trouble.
The Breakfast Club host shared his opinions with TMZ at the United Justice Coalition Summit on Friday (December 1), where he suggested that rappers should start hiring legitimate people — like bodyguards and managers — instead of trying to put on their friends from around the way.
“Entourages are played out, especially if you have a bunch of people around you who don’t serve no real purpose,” he said. “Because, you know, if those brothers served a real purpose, they wouldn’t be doing something as foolish as that, because that’s not security.”
He continued: “The way I move, I have real security with me. You know? I have former police officers that are security, and they know how to handle situations. Security’s job isn’t to beat people up. Security’s job is to diffuse things. […] I tell folks that all the time: make sure your infrastructure is right. Make sure everybody actually has a role. Make sure everybody actually has a position that they’re playing.”
Charlamagne Tha God was specifically addressing the recent Nardo Wick controversy caused by men who were presumed to be from the rapper’s entourage. Nardo Wick was leaving Club Skye in Tampa, Florida at around 1:15 a.m. ET early Monday (November 27) after performing.
Video footage of the incident shows a man rocking a “Free Tory” shirt making his way to a sprinter with his phone in hand. As he walks over to a group appearing to consist of Nardo and his team, the fan is hit on the side of his head by a member of the crew.
The video shows a second punch from a separate individual that causes the man to fall and hit his head on the ground.
A Tampa police news release about the incident does not mention the “Who Want Smoke?” rapper, saying only that “On Monday, November 27, 2023, at approximately 1:17 a.m., following a concert at Club Skye…, an adult male victim, attempted to approach the performer for a photo, when individuals who appear to be affiliated with the performer punched the victim.”
According to TMZ, the victim, George Obregon Jr., was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a severe concussion and brain hemorrhage. An update on Tuesday morning (November 28) revealed he was in critical but stable condition.
Nardo was the only performer listed on Club Skye’s website for Sunday, November 26 into the morning of November 27.
After the Jacksonville native denounced the attack, the two suspects turned themselves into authorities in Tampa, FL, as of Saturday (December 2).
Zachary Benton and a 15-year-old whose name has not been released to the public due to him being a minor have been charged with felony battery. The 15-year-old has also been charged with possession of a firearm while wearing a mask.
A source close to Nardo Wick has told authorities that the two suspects in this incident were “not close” to the star, but were instead “friends of friends.”