You can imagine how hard it is for some folks that have the same name as a famous celebrity, even those that are long deceased such as Tupac Shakur, but things went even more sour for one individual that was given the same name as the iconic rapper recently when he was denied unemployment benefits since it was believed that he was making a fraudulent claim. To make matters even worse the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, called him out by name when describing those that were trying to take advantage of the unemployment system. Most folks might have blown their stack after being labeled a cheater in such a public fashion, but according to Kevin Burwick of MovieWeb Tupac, who likes to go by the name Malik for a good reason obviously, was fairly patient throughout the ordeal as he needed the benefits and being belligerent wasn’t going to make things any easier. While many of us can’t possibly understand the same irritation and frustration that he had to have gone through to finally get what he needed, the matter was at least mollified when the governor apologized to the poor guy and made it clear that it was an error on the part of those that obviously hadn’t run a thorough check on whether he was a real person or not.
What’s more confusing than anything however is that within most states, including Kentucky, one has to provide a wealth of personal and financial information to open a claim and in some cases an individual has to keep constant updates on where they’ve been looking for a job and when. The fact that no one thought to look past the name and verify it using an address, phone number, and other data is kind of confusing really since that would have settled the matter quickly and without as much fuss. With as many people out there that have named their children after famous celebrities over the past few decades it’s a wonder that Malik is the only guy that’s being given this kind of trouble since there are likely plenty of individuals that might run into a spot of trouble simply because they have a fantasy name given to them by their parents or a famous name that others might doubt until they see the birth certificate. The point is, a little deeper search of this individual’s information would have been a good idea in this case rather than the cursory examination and dismissal he received. Daniel Desrochers of the Lexington Herald Leader had more to say on this issue.
It could be chalked up to an overworked system along with employees that are having to process a massive number of people since there are a great many that have lost their jobs thanks to the pandemic and the need to quarantine and therefore shut a lot of businesses down. Many people are still wondering what’s going to be left if the shutdown lasts too much longer as even corporations are starting to feel the pinch given that if they can’t get people in their doors to spend money then they’re going to need to find some other way to survive. The individuals that are being affected by this however, those that don’t exist at the executive level and don’t have untold millions to rely on, are hurting even worse as they need a serious boost to keep them going as they try to find a job that will see them through these difficult times. The fact that unemployment is already proving to be difficult for many people is a hard enough pill to swallow, but being denied because of your birth name is a bit of a stretch, no matter that to some people it might appear that someone is trying to get one over on the unemployment office. It does happen unfortunately and while only the most motivated and duplicitous can make it work there are plenty of checks in place that make it nearly impossible in some states to gain unemployment unless one knows how to work the system. In this case the individual trying to gain his benefits was simply trying to get what was his in the first place, and was unfairly judged thanks to the fact that those in charge weren’t diligent enough to check a little further into the case before seeking to vilify him.
With all that being said and done though, he did gain an apology that was due thankfully, it’s a big hope that Malik will find another place of employment eventually since being a cook for so long does have an advantage if he can find the right place that is looking for someone with his skills. In the meantime it’s nice to hear that the problem was sorted out and that he’ll be able to get his benefits as soon as the problem is sorted out.
Follow Us
