Rap superstar West changes tune, is embraced as an ally by the right
Ex-liberal performer’s switch ‘kind of a big deal’ to conservatives
In the few days since rapper Kanye West doubled down on his public affinity for President Donald Trump and other conservative figures on Twitter, his opinions — and the backlash they have wrought in some circles — have been hailed by those who have long seen the entertainment world as oppressively liberal.
“Kind of a big deal,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on Instagram. “Seems like a cultural turning point.”
Bill O’Reilly chimed in about “ideological zealots in the entertainment industry” who were criticizing West. Jesse Watters, the Fox News commentator, argued that West, 40, had “loosened the grip the Democratic Party holds on the black vote.”
The biggest pat on the back came from the president himself, who posted several tweets about West. On Friday, he wrote, “Kanye West has performed a great service to the Black Community.”
Schadenfreude for some
That such praise was being bestowed upon an iconoclastic musician known for slamming George W. Bush on live television and rapping about the prison industrial complex may seem incongruous. But the sudden embrace of West, a longtime provocateur with contrarian impulses, by figures on the right stems from a potent cocktail of motivations.
West, whose representatives declined to comment, began his latest foray into politics last weekend. He praised the thinking of black conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement. He went on to compliment Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump supporter, as well as “Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams, who has rebranded himself as a conservative thinker.
About the president, he wrote admiringly that they both shared “dragon energy” and that “he is my brother.” He also posted a photo of his Trump-autographed “Make America Great Again” cap.
For some, there is schadenfreude — the pure entertainment value in watching a onetime liberal hero, even a controversial one, be declared a heretic. For others, there is genuine intellectual agreement with West’s apparent disdain for “self victimization” and the “thought police.” And then there is the fact that A-list celebrities, from George Clooney to Beyoncé and beyond, have largely resisted embracing this administration — and even gained currency by speaking out against it.
“The left has so deprived the right of any feeling of solidarity in pop culture that when they’re granted crumbs, the right goes over the moon for them,” said Ben Shapiro, a conservative millennial thinker popular on social media. He compared the giddy reaction to the recent love-fest for Roseanne Barr, who, like West, was praised by the president for her allegiance following the ratings success of her rebooted show.
Referring to the lack of meaningful celebrity endorsements for the right before Barr and West, Shapiro added: “If you haven’t had a drink of water for a really, really long time, when you first drink water again it tastes really sweet — even though it’s just water. I think there’s some of that going on right now.”
The backlash came quickly as fans on social media and the culture publications that follow West closely made their dismay clear: “Kanye West Doesn’t Care About Black People,” read a headline on The Root, while The Ringer explored “The Kanye West Delusion.”
Singer Janelle Monáe criticized West’s comments in a radio interview Wednesday. “I believe in free thinking,” she said. “But I don’t believe in free thinking if it’s rooted in, or at the expense of the oppressed.” And in text messages posted on Twitter by West, John Legend told the rapper, “So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump’s policies cause, especially to people of color.”
Motives debated
Some conservative groups sought to take advantage right away. On Thursday, a text advertisement for one of the president’s campaign fundraising organizations included the message “DON’T BE SILENCED,” adding, “We support Kanye speaking his mind, even if sometimes we do not agree on the issues.”
Ebro Darden, a popular radio personality from the New York rap station Hot 97, said, “They are exploiting Kanye West, and yes, Kanye West is OK with being exploited.”
“He’s down for the shenanigans,” Darden said of the rapper, with whom he spoke by phone about politics multiple times this week. “He’s an opportunist, a provocateur, a troll, a challenger of conventional thought and somebody who wants to be seen at all times, when he’s ready to be seen.”