Female Rapper Sues Lyft After Driver Refused To Pick Her Up For This Reason
A Detroit rapper has taken a stand—and hit the headlines—for an incident that began as a simple Lyft ride and escalated into a high-stakes legal matter with implications for civil rights in Michigan and beyond. Performing under the name Dank Demoss, Dajua Blanding, 36, ordered a Lyft earlier this month. When the driver—a man in a Mercedes sedan—arrived, he locked the car doors and abruptly canceled the ride, insisting she was “too big” to fit and that her weight might even “burst his tires.”
Blanding captured the chilling interaction on video, telling the driver, “I’ve been in cars smaller than that.” The footage quickly went viral, igniting fierce debate. Some observers defended the driver, suggesting that Blanding should have booked a larger vehicle like Lyft XL or that drivers have the right to decline rides if they feel unsafe. But Blanding’s legal team argues that More than discomfort—this was illegal discrimination, unchecked under Michigan law. Michigan’s Unique Legal Protections
Unlike nearly every other state, Michigan’s Elliott–Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) explicitly lists weight and height among protected…
