“What’s His Problem?” — Man Accuses Busker of Lip-Syncing, She Shuts Him Down Perfectly
A New York City busker who was harassed by a random man on the street is being praised for the way she conducted herself in the unsavory exchange.
Jul. 20 2024, Published 2:00 a.m. ET
A busker in New York City who was harassed by a random man on the street is being praised on TikTok for the way she conducted herself in the unsavory exchange.
It seems like root of the man's gripe was that he couldn't believe Taylor Iman (@misstayloriman) was actually singing the tune she was belting out on the street.
Taylor documented the exchange on the popular social media platform, and she begins her video with a recording of herself singing on a New York City street. She's got a speaker set up with a microphone on top of what looks like a Pelican case as she's belting out a rendition of Whitney Houston's (RIP) cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."
Then, someone wearing a large brown coat walks from off of the middle of the street and begins speaking to Taylor as she sings the iconic hook for the popular song.
He doesn't seem to be too happy, and starts accusing the woman of lip-syncing.
To prove that she is actually the one singing the song, she turns off the music and begins singing it without a back track.
The man shouts at her, "Do it a cappella," and she lets him speak into the microphone as she sings back into the mic.
However this doesn't seem to placate the man and she gets angry and she tells the man to back off as he's ruining her song. She sings into the microphone again and the man continues to talk to her. At this point, she decides to entirely ignore him.
"The people in front of me are cracking up," she writes in a text overlay as the man angrily begins stomping away off camera — Taylor continues to sing.
Unfortunately there are numerous examples of buskers being harassed by folks in public, and there are plenty of social media posts documenting their mistreatment.
This one young woman, Carlie Mai, recorded herself attempting to busk outdoors, when she was accosted by numerous drunks who interrupt her street performances.
Her viral clip begins with a man attempting to sing into her microphone by bringing it closer to his face. She asks him repeatedly to stop and then the clip cuts to her appearing frustrated and tearing up.
Another video shows a duo of buskers being accosted by visibly inebriated homeless individuals who attempt to rob them when they're just trying to sing in public.
Then there was this woman who was busking in public when two men walked past her and grabbed her behind.
She instantly called them out and, luckily, an officer was present and was able to get the details of the men after the incident occurred. One of the men in the video can be heard speaking to the woman, offering her up money and telling her repeatedly that it was just "a joke."
She didn't seem to find "sexual assault" funny and repeatedly told the man she didn't want his money while checking in with the officer several times to ensure that he was able to get the information of the assailants.
Numerous folks who responded to Taylor's video were shocked at the man's behavior: "Like sir, it is a cappella. I turned the music off ???? What's his damage," one remarked.
Others questioned what his problem with her singing was and if he even knew the meaning of his requests: "Does he not know what a cappella mean? Or am I the one confused? 'Cause why he keep saying it even after the music stops?"
There were some folks, like this TikToker, who think that his whole beef was rooted in the fact that he was jealous of seeing other people pull off impressive performances: "People hate seeing others shine. Amazing voice and professionalism."
Another user applauded her ability to keep cool in pressurized situations: "You handled it well — his pointing his finger in your face and touching the mic or you — not cool. Beautiful singer!"