Detroit high school teacher fired after parent complained about her ‘side hustle’ as a rapper

A high school teacher in Detroit was fired from her job after parents complained to the school that she had a “side hustle” as a rapper. The former teacher is now planning to take legal action against the school, according to the Daily Mail.

Domonique Brown, 32, was reportedly named teacher of the month in December at Taylor Preparatory High School. However, she was dismissed from her teaching post after a parent anonymously complained about Brown’s burgeoning rap career.

“The first meeting was with my dean and my principal and they were just telling me, ‘Hey, a parent said that they’ve seen your social media and that you’re a bad influence because you’re a rapper,'” Brown said.

The parent suggested that a music video Brown appeared in, entitled “DRIPPIN 101,” was the source of the issue. Brown released the video under the rap name, DrippinHoney. The video took off, raking in 34,000 views and 619 comments on YouTube.

The music video included explicit language, such as “I ain’t no h** – I’m ’bout the dough,” and “Motown baby going crazy like the 80s.” The majority of the video includes a group of young adults dancing in a parking lot.

However, Brown does not believe what she does out of the classroom should have any impact on her job as a teacher.

“My outside life should not be grounds for termination when it does not interfere with my ability to fulfill my responsibilities as a teacher,” Brown wrote under the YouTube video. “My dedication, professionalism, and passion for education have always been unwavering, regardless of any personal pursuits I may have.”

Even though Brown requested the parent provide a written complaint, the parent never did so.

“I was like hey well can we tell that parent to come in and see professionalism, see me in a classroom, see me after school, see me at all the games, see me dropping kids off everyday, buying food?” Brown said during an interview WJBK. “Can they come see me in my element before they try to say I’m unprofessional in it?”

Brown said she was discriminated against following her dismissal.

“Music is part of the culture,” she said. “We’re from Motown, this is what we do. So it’s not like it’s unheard of, it’s the culture. When you look like me, you just understand it a little bit … better.”