Kanye West retires from political life
If you’re one of the many still holding a candle for Kanye West and praying he gets his act together, your reprieve finally came Tuesday afternoon after a very theatrical year for the rapper.
What made him change his mind, you ask? In true Kanye fashion, a logo, of all things.
It all started when Candace Owens, a pro-Trump commentator who Kanye has previously promoted, started a movement called “Blexit” in an effort to encourage black voters to leave the Democratic Party.
A logo for her movement appeared on shirts, caps and other merchandise sold at last Saturday’s Turning Point USA’s Young Black Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. In an interview with The New York Post, Owens said, “Blexit is a renaissance, and I am blessed to say that this logo, these colours, were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero Kanye West. (He) has taken one of the boldest steps in America to open a conversation we have needed to have.”
But on Monday, after social media began criticizing Kanye for his involvement with Blexit, Owens tweeted a statement, saying that the musician only introduced her to a designer and, rest assured, “Ye supports various people in different regards, because at the end of the day, his is a message about unity and love.” She then noted that he supports and “loves” Colin Kaepernick, Amare Enyia, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. A multi-hyphenate!
On Tuesday afternoon — after a year in which he declared slavery to be a “choice,” sported Make America Great Again hats, and schmoozed with Trump — Kanye tweeted, “I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn’t want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it.”
He added, “I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer. I support those who risk their lives to serve and protect us and I support holding people who misuse their power accountable. I believe in love and compassion for people seeking asylum and parents who are fighting to protect their children from violence and war. My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!”
While he’d probably like the world to consider this his come to Jesus moment, it sounds an awful lot like Kanye crying wolf.