Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

The Game Says NJ Town's Anti-Saggy Pants Law Is Racist


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jun 15, 2013

Modified Jun 15, 2013


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

The Game

 

via Wikipedia Commons


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jun 15, 2013

Modified Jun 15, 2013


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Earlier this week, the New Jersey beach town of Wildwood passed a law banning saggy pants on the boardwalk; but rapper The Game says the law is racist, so he's offering to cover the fines of the first five people ticketed for flaunting the style.

TMZ spoke with a number of rappers regarding the ban, which imposes a $25 dollar fine for first-offenders caught with pants sagging 3 inches below the hips—repeat saggers get slapped with up to $200 in fines. And The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, was not happy with the move. He called it racist and comparing it to the "f***ing slave days." "N***** should sag down to their socks out there," he told TMZ. "They trying to get people to not sag, please. Can’t tell people how to wear their f***ing clothes."

And rapper's offering more than just verbal support. To show his solidarity with the saggy masses, he's going to pay the tickets of the first five people fined. "I am with the sagging movement," he said. "I will go there and sag cause I am a sagging Sagittarius." The Game, who released fifth studio album Jesus Piece last December and has collaborated with artists like Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa, isn't alone in his criticism of the law. Bizzy Bone from rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony asked TMZ if the ban was "talking about black people" and called it "racist and ridiculous," and the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the ACLU told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the ordinance was a violation of constitutional and civil rights. After all, he said: "Bad taste is not a crime."

Tagged

new jersey

saggy pants

the game

wildwood


Rebecca Fishbein

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.

By

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Published Oct 8, 2026


Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?

If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.

By

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?

If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.

By

James Ramsay


What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.

By

Jayson Greene

Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City

By

Sonia Rao

Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries

By

Alec Hamilton


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .