Black celebrities who once revered Kanye West are now reconsidering their praise for the Chicago rapper after his recent tweets proclaiming support for President Donald Trump.
Chance the Rapper was one of a few celebrities that stood by Yeezy as Black Twitter came for West's neck. But other high-profile stars were not willing to let the man who once said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during a Hurricane Katrina relief telethon off the hook. According to Mic, a slew of celebrities dropped Ye and unfollowed him on Twitter. Big names like John Legend, Kendrick, Rihanna, Big Sean and others jumped ship.
Singer Macy Gray posted an Instagram photo of her wearing a "Make Kanye Great Again" hat alluding to that 2005 moment.
A few days before Kanye revealed his MAGA hat on Twitter, entertainer Janelle Monáe spoke to Ebro in the Morning about Yeezy’s open support for conservative personality Candace Owens.
"Well, one, I don't agree with him if that is true, and he’s supporting anybody who thinks that, then I don't agree with him at all," Janelle said.
"I believe in freethinking, but I don’t believe in freethinking if it's rooted in or at the expense of the oppressed. If your freethinking is used as fuel by oppressors to continue to opress black people and minorities, I think it's bullshit and it's not OK. I will speak out against it and I will think freely and tell you that I don't agree with you."
Quote me https://t.co/vaCYun2Dwv
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) April 25, 2018
Mega-producer Lena Waithe took it old school and drew a glaring comparison to O.J. Simpson's anti-blackness and Kanye.
“I’m not black I’m Kanye…”
Us: okay ????????♀️
— Lena Waithe (@LenaWaithe) April 26, 2018
But for others, like radio host Ebro from his self-titled show, Kanye is on his last legs and can compete with other rappers. This is a publicity stunt to stoke interest.
The reason @kanyewest is “lost”…
1 – Can’t out REAL Jay Z
2 – Can’t out TRUTH J.Cole
3 – Can’t out RAP Kendrick
4 – Can’t out HIT DrakeSo ALL Kanye had left was this…
— OldMan Ebro (@oldmanebro) April 25, 2018
The most biting criticism came from singer John Legend, who had to take Ye back to school.
I imagine there's some comfort in imagining a future without racism and projecting that onto the present. Thinking if we just deny the truth, it doesn't exist. If history is erased, we don't have to deal with its consequences. However…
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
Far too many people don't have the luxury of closing their eyes and ears. They feel it in their lives and can't act like what they see and know doesn't exist.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
GLORY! Say that again! https://t.co/EmAFQOUhw5
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 26, 2018
They know their family was destroyed by deportation or incarceration. They know their loved one was denied safe harbor because of their religion. They know their son or daughter was shot because their skin color evoked fear
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
They see the statistics about black applications for real estate or loans or employment being turned away because their name was Jamal and not James
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
I love that great, brilliant artists have the power to imagine a better future. But artists can't be blind to the truth.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
All the while Kanye's tweetstorm was lighting up the Twittersphere, rapper J. Cole, who recently released his album KOD, had to get a shot in. (The simple tweet referenced Ye's announcement about collaborating with Nas.)
"These are our heroes" – @nas
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) April 25, 2018
But you know just how it go in our community
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) April 26, 2018
Rapper 50 Cent chose to portray his disdain in a most creative manner and was co-signed by Snoop Dogg.
