• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

66yo Iowa official might have been fired for loving Tupac too much

Bullet Club

Banned






Fired Over Too Much Tupac? A Rap-Loving Bureaucrat From Iowa Says He Hopes Not

Keep ya head up, Jerry Foxhoven.

The public servant who led Iowa's Department of Human Services was forced to resign in June, just one business day after he sent an email to more than 4,000 agency employees that included an inspirational quote from the rapper Tupac Shakur.

He used his love of rap from time to time to "reach out to our staff, tell them that I'm human, have a little levity," he tells NPR.

Foxhoven regularly held "Tupac Fridays" in his office, where the rapper's music was played — the lawyer said he liked breaking stereotypes about who listens to rap.

"I'm a 66-year-old white guy from the Midwest who likes rap music, who likes Tupac!" he says.

In fact, Foxhoven is a Tupac superfan. The civil servant is utterly dedicated to the slain rapper, celebrating his birthday with Tupac-themed baked goods; marking Tupac milestones ("I might seem a little down because today is the 22nd anniversary of 2Pac's death," he wrote once to a staff member); and assigning Tupac as mandatory reading for his ethics class at Drake University.

But Foxhoven's tenure at the Department of Human Services ended without warning — and without a chance for an orderly transition. After his email citing the rapper, Foxhoven was asked to resign. He says that he was not even granted a meeting with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Instead, the governor's chief of staff confiscated his cell phone and ID card on the spot and ordered him not to go back to his office. They did not cite a reason, and Foxhoven was not made aware of why he was let go after two years on the job.

Foxhoven was aware that at least one individual was not a fan of his Tupac quotations. In an email, one of his staff members alluded to the existence of a disgruntled employee, who then reported his Tupac references to state legislators. These emails indicate that action may have been taken due to his Tupac-related messages.

"I am going to hang in there on him — despite all the naysayers," he wrote in one email, after a staff member said that there were "haters" who didn't appreciate his Tupac quotes.

Although he knew one employee had complained about his frequent references to Tupac, Foxhoven says he hopes they were not the reason he was forced to resign.

He does wonder, however.

Foxhoven points out that Barry Manilow's birthday is one day after Tupac's, and wonders whether he have been dismissed if he had cited Manilow instead.

"I always try to assume the best of everybody, and I can't imagine that [the governor] would base her decision on the Tupac incident," he says. "If this is the reason, I'm really disappointed."

The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment from NPR. But according to the Associated Press, the governor's office would not confirm or deny that Foxhoven's rap references were part of the reason for Foxhoven's dismissal.

"She wanted to go in a new direction," the governor's spokesman previously said in a statement, according to Iowa Public Radio. The spokesman provided no specifics.

NPR made a public records request in order to obtain emails involving Foxhoven and his references to Tupac. Foxhoven's Tupac emails were first reported by the AP.

The email which preceded his ouster was a positive one, in which he recognized Father's Day, Tupac's Birthday and his own work anniversary. "Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back," he wrote, citing Tupac. "It simply means that you are 2 steps ahead."

In that same email, he praised his staff, writing that it was "absolute honor to lead such a dedicated and committed group of people." In response, more than a dozen employees at the agency wrote back to praise him for the positive message.

"You are such a breath of fresh air, Jerry!" wrote one staff member in response, according to emails obtained by NPR.

The hundreds of pages of emails reviewed by NPR show that by all accounts Foxhoven was widely admired by his staff and regularly took time to mentor subordinates. In one email he dispensed career advice, noting that he was inspired at the agency by the well-known Tupac song "Changes."

In fact, he regularly cited Tupac in staff and agency-wide emails — including a Valentine's Day email in which he marveled, "isn't it wonderful that we have a day to celebrate love?" This observation was followed by a quote from Tupac's "Dear Mama." The 66 year old's inbox even included a meme that referenced Tupac's famous collaboration with Dr. Dre, "California Love."

Ultimately, Foxhoven tells NPR he's glad that his emails about his favorite musical artist have now made national news, because it allows for a discussion about stereotypes and music. He said he was especially disturbed by a recent news story which reported that a 17-year-old boy in Arizona was fatally stabbed by a man who said the victim's rap music made him feel "unsafe."

"It's important for us to break down those stereotypes: if you listen to rap music, you're a criminal or dangerous. It's not true at all," he says, adding that he hoped his situation could lead to "having open discussions about race and what we have in common, instead of what separates us."

He first got into Tupac in the early '90s when the rapper was still alive — "we're going to have to get into this East Coast, West Coast thing," he says apologetically, as he explained his preference for the Californian musician. "Part of the reason I like Tupac [is that] it's good music — it's not just rap with a bass in the background. It's fun to listen to, and also I liked over his career, you could see him transform."

Foxhoven turns 67 next week, and is still figuring out what to do next. He wouldn't mind seeing the Tupac hologram in person, he says.

One thing is for sure: "I will be listening to some Tupac on my birthday. That's totally true."

Source: NPR
 

MMaRsu

Member
Yeah because everyone is immaculate and has done no wrong.

Just because he was convicted doesn't mean his words cannot hold wisdom.
 

MMaRsu

Member
I dont give a fuck about ERA. It's obvious it has nothing to do with his court case from over 20 years ago. Lol. You trying to throw it on that reason just comes across extremely disengenuous
 
I dont give a fuck about ERA. It's obvious it has nothing to do with his court case from over 20 years ago. Lol. You trying to throw it on that reason just comes across extremely disengenuous
Dude, you do realize we live in the age of #metoo, right? Convicted sexual assault isn't going to be handwaved away by "his words held wisdom".
 

Kadayi

Banned
I find it hard to imagine that someone in Upper management didn't tell him to chill with the Tupac love at some point.

In life its best to keep you particular fascinations out of the workplace, and especially emails.

No one wants Keith from accounting popping quotes from "The wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister" into every report or making a big announcement when it's GRRMs birthday, or the 20th anniversary of when A Game of Thrones was first published.

Shit like that might mean something to them, but everyone else is 'what does this have to do with work?'

Inspiration? Maybe change it up a bit and expand the repertoire a bit from one individual.
 
Last edited:

Ten_Fold

Member
2pac the goat and the grandfather of all these new rappers, sucks that people hating on him for liking what he likes.
 

cryptoadam

Banned
I share this with all my employees

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
It's the ten crack commandments, what?
Nigga can't tell me nothing about this coke
Can't tell me nothing about this crack, this weed, my hustlin' niggas
Niggas on the corner I ain't forget you niggas, my triple beam niggas
I've been in this game for years, it made me an animal
It's rules to this shit, I wrote me a manual
A step-by-step booklet for you to get
Your game on track, not your wig pushed back
Rule Number Uno, never let no one know
How much dough you hold cause you know
The cheddar breed jealousy 'specially
If that man fucked up, get yo' ass stuck up
Number 2, never let 'em know your next move
Don't you know Bad Boys move in silence and violence?
Take it from your highness
I done squeezed mad clips at these cats for their bricks and chips
Number 3, never trust no-bo-dy
Your moms'll set that ass up, properly gassed up
Hoodied and masked up, shit, for that fast buck
She be laying in the bushes to light that ass up
Number 4, I know you heard this before
Never get high on your own supply
Number 5, never sell no crack where you rest at
I don't care if they want a ounce, tell 'em bounce!
Number 6, that goddamn credit? Dead it
You think a crackhead paying you back, shit forget it!
7, this rule is so underrated
Keep your family and business completely separated
Money and blood don't mix like 2 dicks and no bitch
Find yourself in serious shit
Number 8, never keep no weight on you!
Them cats that squeeze your guns can hold jums too
Number 9 shoulda been Number 1 to me,
If you ain't gettin' bagged stay the fuck from police
If niggas think you snitchin' they ain't trying to listen
They be sittin' in your kitchen, waiting to start hittin'
Number 10, a strong word called consignment
Strictly for live men, not for freshmen
If you ain't got the clientele, say "hell no!"
'Cause they gon' want they money rain sleet hail snow
Follow these rules you'll have mad bread to break up
If not, 24 years on the wake up
Slug hit your temple, watch your frame shake up
Caretaker did your makeup, when you passed
Your girl fucked my man Jake up, heard in three weeks
She sniffed a whole half of cake up
Heard she suck a good dick, and can hook a steak up
Gotta go gotta go, more pies to bake up, word up
 
Top Bottom