CINCINNATI, Ohio — A viral video that shows rapper 50 Cent accusing an airport worker of being high on drugs went viral — and the Internet is lashing out.
Curtis James Jackson III, best known as 50 Cent, shared a video on Twitter and Instagram on Sunday that shows him harassing a janitor at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport for being “high.”
“Listen… the new generation is crazy. They’re crazy,” 50 Cent can be heard saying in the video. “What’s your name?” 50 Cent asks the worker. The worker does not respond, so 50 Cent continues harassing him:
“Look at him. What kind of s*** you think he took before he got to work today? He high as a motherf***er right here in the airport. Pupils dilated and everything. The new generation is f***ing crazy.”
You can watch the unedited video below. Editor’s note: The video is disturbing and includes graphic language. Viewer discretion advised.
The airport janitor was quickly identified on social media as 19-year-old Andrew Farrell.
“I went to school with him. His name is Andrew Farrell.He has extreme social disabilities just to let you know. He has a hard enough time getting through life without jackasses like you making fun of him. I hope you feel good about yourself. You just lost a huge fan. 50 needs to apologize,” wrote 1musicinfinity5.
Andrew’s family spoke to multiple local news outlets in Cincinnati on Monday and said the teen has dealt with mild autism and social anxiety his entire life.
“It hurts to watch that, it’s painful,” Andrew’s stepfather, Ken, told WKRC. “You come up and you start talking to a kid you know nothing about. That’s not fair. That’s a slap in the face.”
The teen’s mother said watching the video was heartbreaking.
“Personally, I think the guy was mad,” his mother told WKRC. “Andrew didn’t know who he was right away and he ignored him and he did his job and went about his business. I think he was mad and offended that someone didn’t flock to him.”
In addition to a “social anxiety disorder,” Andrew also has a hearing impairment, his mother told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Despite the comments from 50 Cent, Andrew told WKRC he’s happy with who he is.
“I don’t do drugs. I believe in God. I’m a hard worker,” Andrew said.
While hundreds of users have tweeted at 50 Cent demanding he apologize, the rapper has not publicly commented about the video. WKRC also attempted to contact the rapper, but they did not receive a response.
