Kanye West’s shenanigans throughout the years are well-documented. From running for president to wearing a “MAGA” hat to posing with Trump to saying that “slavery was a choice,” the Chicago rapper has said almost any and everything to piss people off. But his latest stunt might be the worst.
As we’ve all seen by now, Kanye at his Yeezy Show during Paris Fashion Week, wore a shirt that read “WHITE LIVES MATTER.” While Black people across the internet were furious with Ye’s actions, we hoped he would disappear and shut up.
But not only did he not shut up, he went on Fox News for an interview with certified asshole Tucker Carlson to explain the stunt he pulled at Paris Fashion Week.
Kanye said during the interview, “I do certain things from a feeling. I just channel the energy, it just feels right. It’s using a gut instinct, a connection with God, and just brilliance … God is preparing us for the real battles, and we are in a battle with the media. The majority of the media has a God-less agenda, and the jokes are not working. This whole like, ‘Oh, Ye’s crazy,’ and all these things, they don’t work.”
He continued, “My dad is an educated ex-Black Panther and he sent a text to me that said, ‘White Lives Matter hahaha.’ And I said, ‘I thought the shirt was a funny shirt.’ I said the idea of me wearing it was funny. I said, ‘Dad, what do you think of it?’ He said, ‘Just a Black man stating the obvious.’”
Some people may think, “Ain’t no way Kanye thinks it’s funny to piss off Black people.”
The crazy thing is, I actually believe him. He knew it was an insensitive “joke” that would get a negative reaction from people and cause people to talk about him. This doesn’t make Kanye stupid, it makes him destructive.
As Van Lathan said on his podcast Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay, “I actually would have preferred that he actually meant this. I actually preferred that he’s like ‘hey I feel like we live in a world where White people aren’t getting enough attention.’ Cause if that’s the case, he’s just stupid.”
He continued, “But if he’s doing this purposefully to antagonize, purposefully for attention, purposefully to troll Black people, then Kanye West isn’t stupid, he’s evil. It’s an evil thing to do for no reason.”
I second all of Van Lathan’s emotions on this one. Kanye is so focused on having everyone’s attention that he will do almost everything to get it and keep it, no matter how annoying or damaging it may be.
But also, Fox News bringing Kanye West on for an interview is not because they genuinely care about what he’s saying. It’s because he’s saying things that enable their actions as a conservative news company. The phrase, “White Lives Matter” allows them to do what they want to do: minimize the stance that Black lives are being taken disproportionately.
So let’s just say it to Kanye himself. Tucker Carlson is using you, Kanye as a tool to say things the network wants to say anyhow. Unfortunately, you adhere to it.
So Kanye, please shut the hell up for once! For your sake and ours, shut up. I know you won’t, but damn.... it feels like it needs to be said.