NORE faced off against his most interesting adversary yet, a karen.
The rapper-turned-podcaster took to social media on Wednesday (May 7) to recount an altercation with a racist white woman inside a Miami Restaurant. The entire incident took NORE by surprise.
“I didn’t think the ‘Karen’ thing was real,” he said in a video posted to his Instagram. “Then I got the ‘Karen treatment.’”
Despite this, the staffer allegedly contacted law enforcement without cause. “She approached us, and we were quiet, calm, polite,” he said. “Then she called the police.”
He continued by detailing the woman's attempt to harm him. “This woman tried to get me killed for ordering an extra bottle of wine,” he wrote. “Whenever a white woman calls the police on a Black man, the intent is to put that man’s life in danger.”
He went on to say that the officer who responded acknowledged the call was baseless. “He told me he’s never been dispatched over a wine order,” N.O.R.E. added. “I paid the bill and left.”
NORE's Karen Situation
Disturbed by the situation, NORE began looking into the woman’s history. He said he found numerous complaints alleging discriminatory behavior toward patrons of color.
“She’s not just targeting Black folks,” he wrote. “Latinos, Russians, Jews—anyone who isn’t white. I saw her turn away three Black men as I was walking out.” He ended the post with a call to action: “Let’s boycott. Shame on her.”
This episode joins a pattern of racial profiling claims involving Black public figures in dining spaces. Earlier in 2024, T.I. called out The Revelry in Austin after he was denied entry. He cited race as the reason and criticized what he called a “coded system of exclusion.”
That controversy echoed earlier conflicts at Houston’s restaurants, including a high-profile 2017 case in Atlanta that led to protests and a temporary boycott.
NORE’s account serves as another reminder that even fame offers no shield against racial injustice. For many, the restaurant remains a symbol of luxury. But for others, it’s a place where dignity is still denied.
