Hip-hop may be one of the most popular genres of music in the world, but despite the recent efforts of some the federal government employees, it appears there are still some places where rap fan-hood isn’t yet appreciated — like the workplace. The Associated Press reported an unusual story about the convergence of business and rap yesterday in which an Iowa state official was fired after sending emails praising the music and life of late rapper Tupac Shakur.
Jerry Foxhoven, until recently Iowa’s Department Of Human Services Director, may seem an unlikely fan of Tupac’s music (see his photo below), but apparently, Jerry was such a big fan that he celebrated his own 65th birthday with Shakur-themed cookies reading “Thug Life,” naturally. Last month, Foxhoven was let go after sending a Tupac-referencing email to all 4,300 of the agency’s employees — this after other similar emails had received complaints. The agency eventually released 350 pages of emails with the words “Tupac” or “2Pac” sent to and from Foxhoven during his two years at the Department Of Human Services.
Apparently, Foxhoven’s final email told his fellow employees to mark Tupac’s birthday by listening to his music over the weekend. On the next work day, he was told to resign by Governor Kim Reynolds. Of course, the DHS can’t exactly confirm whether or not it was Jerry’s emails that prompting his dismissal, but you do have to wonder about the level of professionalism in sending such a missive to the entire agency, rather than just like-minded fans of the iconic rapper.
The report does mention multiple controversies involving the agency; while stopping short of speculating that any were the actual cause of Foxhoven’s dismissal, it does note that Reynolds wanted to take DHS in “a different direction.”
