Brooklyn Venue Accused of Racism After Cancelling Fashion Week Event, Denies Claims

The Market Hotel, a popular Brooklyn music venue, was vandalized with graffiti after a promoter claimed the establishment canceled his New York Fashion Week event, dubbed "In Tha Fest," due to racist motives. The promoter, NOAHH, alleged that the venue did not want "ignorant Black people" in its space. The incident occurred last week when the venue, known for its second-story dance floor visible from the Myrtle-Broadway subway station platform, reportedly informed NOAHH hours before the event was scheduled to begin.

The event was slated to feature Black rappers Percaso and EA TJ. NOAHH, who is white, stated on Instagram that the Market Hotel's general manager cited a previous event with "ignorant Black people" as the reason for cancellation, leading NOAHH to accuse the venue of racism. He quickly relocated the event to the nearby Hellow Meadow venue.

Following the alleged cancellation, three individuals spray-painted the exterior of the Market Hotel with the words "racist" and "f–k you." Security footage captured the vandalism.

However, the Market Hotel has vehemently denied the promoter's allegations. In a statement, the venue asserted that the event was canceled due to insufficient ticket sales, with only 40 tickets sold for the 500-person-capacity venue. The venue stated that their general manager, who is Black, explained to the promoter that low sales did not justify the costs associated with hosting the event in such a large space. They suggested moving the event to a venue with lower overhead was a more practical financial decision.

"At no point was race part of that conversation," the Market Hotel said in its statement. "Calling someone racist is a serious accusation and it shouldn’t be thrown around simply because you’re unhappy with a business decision."

Maleek Brown, the general manager of Market Hotel, also personally addressed the allegations, calling them "crazy" and indicating that he was the one who cleaned the graffiti. He stated that he did not know the promoter or his race, and based his decision solely on the words used during their phone conversation.

NOAHH later issued an apology for the vandalism but maintained his accusation that Brown made racist remarks. He also claimed this was the second time the Market Hotel had canceled on him, alleging the venue had initially tried to cancel an August show over low ticket sales but agreed to proceed after doubling the rental fee. He referred to the situation as a "he say she say" scenario.

Both NOAHH and the Market Hotel declined to comment further when reached by The Post, referring instead to their social media posts regarding the dispute.