My husband started working at RSE at the time of that anniversary show. He is an accountant and, this too, was his dream job. His relationship with them ended just over a year ago when he could no longer take the owner’s abuse and walked out. My husband had never walked out of anything before, or since, then.

When he started there as the business manager (the first they’d ever had), he saw how women were treated and he saw how their lackluster business practices could end up being a problem. He pushed for them to contract with an outside HR professional, which they agreed to. He ended up needing this HR person after having to go on mental health leave and returned to a scathing employee review where he was told that there was “always a black cloud over your office.” He was told he had a black cloud UPON RETURNING FROM A MENTAL HEALTH LEAVE.

I have never in my whole life seen someone so disrespected, belittled and hurt at a place of employment in my life. The last year he was there was traumatic for our family (and that’s not hyperbole). He was told when he started that he could be in on an artist management business and that RSE would look to him for business advice — maybe he would be CFO? Well, they snuck in a woman under his nose with NO music business background to be CFO and he LITERALLY got sent to the basement.

This occurred after suddenly being told he was doing his job wrong (uh, he created the job!), never received support and felt shunned because he wanted to do his job and do it well. When he would ask for direction, they never answered him.

At the end, desperate to save his “dream job” he tried to gather the higher-ups to meet with him and was blown off, gaslit and made to feel inconsequential. The pain and deep sorrow he felt was real.

At the last meeting he had with the owner, the one he ended up walking out of, my husband said that he didn’t feel supported and he said, “Pfff, what do you think you’re NEVER wrong?” My husband stood up, pushed in his chair and said, “I’m done” and walked out.

I am beyond sorry that you experienced this treatment, the assaults, the gaslighting, the fuckery. You were taken advantage of 100% and used because, “Hey! We’re Rhymesayers! You’ll do ANYTHING to stay with us!”

I apologize for taking over your comment space — I just want you to know that so many people stand with you. I have seen several people get completely fucked over by them (women and men) in the past two years and it is unbelieveable that they continue to treat people this way.