Celebrities — they’re just like us. They have to pay fair wages, too, and get called out publicly when they don’t.

A New York federal court has firmly rejected a request by hip hop recording singer and producer Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr. — better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes — and other parties that a “celebrity exception” be created in relation to the publicity requirements for wage and hour workplace dispute settlements.

Mr. Smith and Starbus L.L.C. were sued by his former chauffer, who claimed he was not paid required overtime, discriminated against based on his age and physically assaulted by the star. The litigation went on for a year until the parties settled in November, which required court approval of the settlement and would make the agreement public, per the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The parties argued that Mr. Smith’s public persona as a well-known recording artist should give rise to an exception to the presumption of public access to FLSA settlement agreements. But the court put the parties in check by rejecting that request.

“If anything, the public’s interest in Mr. Smith’s career actually increases the presumption of public access in this case,” the judge stated in his ruling. “Beyond the interest in his career, multiple news organizations have reported on the existence of this lawsuit. In this context, shielding this settlement from public disclosure would convey the impression to the public that celebrities’ notoriety places them above the normal application of the law.”

The judge noted that even if the agreement had been publicly filed, the court could not approve it because of its confidentiality provision as the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York has cited agreements containing strong confidentiality provisions as examples of the potential for abuse in FLSA settlements. The judge ordered the parties to resume their negotiations and submit a revised settlement agreement for court review and approval by June 15.

Touch that, Busta.