Nicholas Payton says he is ‘THE VICTIM’ after losing role as Massachusetts music school’s brass department chair
Berklee College of Music has fired a top professor following a Washington Free Beacon probe into his anti-Semitic comments.
Nicholas Payton, who has called Jews “vile predators” and falsely blamed them for slavery, revealed in an Instagram post Saturday that he was out as chair of the school’s brass department.
“[O]n a zoom meeting this wednesday at 1:00pm CST, i was told by two berklee officials that i had 24 hours to resign or be terminated,” Payton wrote in the post. “[I] think the real issue is people miscategorizing me as an ‘antisemite.'”
“[L]et me remind those who find me problematic: I AM THE VICTIM. [I] was dismissed without due process, without a warning, or a chance to make it right,” the aggrieved musician continued. “[I] loved that job and was finally getting the hang of it, even though i’ve never had a ‘regular’ job in my life.”
The musician additionally claimed that Berklee had hired him in full knowledge of his past remarks about Jews—and had indicated their personal agreement with him.
“[I] was promoted to chair of the department in the fall of 2024. [W]as handpicked by a dean who knew full well about these so-called antisemitic statements and told me that not only he agreed, but so did the provost, the vice president and HR also agree.”
Payton specifically called out the Free Beacon for precipitating his exit, writing that his statements “regarding the actions of some in the jewish community” were “completely miscontextualize[d].” He added in a now-deleted post that “calling black people ‘antisemite’ is the new ‘N****r.'” As of Monday, his name is no longer listed on the school’s brass department faculty page.
Berklee also scrubbed its September 2024 announcement of Payton’s appointment, which lauded him as a “child prodigy” and “a leader, pushing musical boundaries.”
“We are looking forward to Nicholas Payton’s contribution to the Berklee community by engaging faculty, supporting students, and developing curriculum,” Sean K. Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance Division, gushed at the time.
Left unsaid were Payton’s other contributions to the public discourse.
“All these so-called Jews mad, because how dare I make them face the facts of their sordid past and present,” Payton said in a video posted to Instagram in July 2020. “So you want to help liberate black people you want to help free us, then free us from amongst yourselves … expose how Jewish people have exploited us. Apologize for it and atone and do better.”
“Amazing how Jews always have a ‘negligible’ role in every historic horror that they’ve been irrefutably associated with it. What an amazing coincidence! ALL the other races contain plenty of monstrous psychopaths, but Jews, magically, are clean as a whistle! INCREDIBLE!” read another post Payton shared to his Instagram that same month.
In other posts, Payton shared videos of anti-Semitic speakers, including one who insisted that Jews were part of the “synagogue of Satan.”
“Racial tensions, segregation. It is all part of the synagogue of Satan’s plot for Yahweh’s people to fight amongst themselves based upon the color of our skin,” said one speaker in a video shared by Payton. “That is what they want, so that we keep our minds off of them as the true slavers.”
“You see, they’re obsessed with blood. They’re obsessed with their own blood, and they’re obsessed with your blood!” the speaker added.
In a lengthy reminiscence to the New York Times in 2022 Payton said of an old Jewish boss, “from my vantage point, he’s nothing but a vile predator who sucks the life blood out of the artists whom he uses to help maintain his wealth and status. None of whom receive a fair percentage of the wages which they work so tirelessly to earn.”
Berklee is among the most prestigious music schools in the country. Past students have included Quincy Jones, Melissa Etheridge, and Howard Shore. Tuition and related costs can run students up to $82,302 per year.
On April 14, the same day the Free Beacon report was published, a collection of alumni, students, and members of the Berklee community created a Change.org petition demanding the school give Payton the boot. The demand letter eventually racked up more than 4,800 signatures.
“Anti-Semitism must not be tolerated at American colleges and universities. Berklee College of Music correctly fired this professor due to his vile anti-Semitism,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) told the Free Beacon in a statement. “I will continue to lead with President Trump on holding these failing institutions accountable.”
Payton and Berklee did not respond to requests for comment.
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