A controversial music video featuring an NYPD detective has been addressed by both the rapper and director behind it.
On Friday (March 7), TMZ reported that East Coast rapper S-Quire and director Picture Perfect stood up for NYPD Det. Melissa Mercado, who stars in the strip club-themed “Doin That” video. However, both men claim they had no idea about Det. Mercado’s police career, as she was hired through a casting agency.
“After everything went down and I’m watching all of this and now I’m seeing the narrative change like, I have a family, too. This lady has a family, too,” S-Quire told TMZ. “And I think that’s more important right now.”
S-Quire mentioned that while he “loves” that the “Doin That” video went viral, he doesn’t want to be known as the rapper who got famous for having a cop in his music video.
S-Quire described the aftermath as “extremely unfortunate” and said it disrupted his touring plans.
Picture chimed in, noting that Mercado gained huge popularity from the video, though the response got “a little out of hand.” He added that other artists have reached out to him wanting Mercado in their videos too. The director also called the detective “really dope to work with” and praised how she “gave it her all.”
Picture now plans to check video models’ backgrounds differently for future projects with S-Quire, so their day jobs don’t distract from the art.
In “Doin That,” filmed at Club Vanity in 2022, Mercado dances in a rented strip club wearing a bra and g-string, also sharing some intimate moments with S-Quire.
According to The New York Post, Mercado has been with the NYPD since 2018 and earns $144,000 yearly. While S-Quire and Picture Perfect support Mercado, at least one person in the NYPD has also suggested the detective shouldn’t face any punishment.
“What she’s doing really has nothing to do with her as an employee, as an NYC detective,” a police union source told the Post. “She’s not wearing NYPD paraphernalia. Nothing in the video says she’s a detective. If she is performing for money, if she has a side gig, the job would want to know about that. The member would be obligated to file an off-duty employment application. I would say nothing she does in the video is the department’s business.”
