Attempting to promote his album and begin an open dialogue for political issues, Kanye West recently returned to Twitter.
This past weekend, he tweeted in support of Candace Owens, a black conservative pundit who disapproves of Black Lives Matter. On April 21, West tweeted, “I like the way Candace Owens thinks”; after seeing his response, fans (once again) began to question whether or not they should continue to listen to his music considering his problematic ideologies.
In the past, West has made left-leaning remarks, mentioning in one viral clip that former President George W. Bush did not care about black people. His recent comments however, along with his expressing support for Trump several months ago, seem to cement a new shift in his politics.
Candace Owens, the woman West mentioned, works as a communications director for Turning Point USA, an organization that promotes conservative ideologies at colleges and has a close location to the White House.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/987696355341553665?tfw_creator=Eugene_Scott&tfw_site=WashingtonPost&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fthe-fix%2Fwp%2F2018%2F04%2F22%2Fkanye-wests-embrace-of-a-black-trump-supporter-not-well-received%2F
Owens claimed that Black Lives Matter perpetuates a mindset of victimhood by acknowledging the existence of slavery and systemic racism. She tweeted, “They’re a bunch of whiny toddlers, pretending to be oppressed for attention.” In addition, she defended the NRA, saying, “Black men getting shot by police isn’t about racism.”
When Owens heard about West’s support for her beliefs, she responded, saying, “affirmation I needed to go forward so just thank you.”
Ebro Darden, a radio host on the New York based station Hot97, discussed having a conversation with Kanye West yesterday morning. On the program, West explained to Darden that he loved Candace Owens because she’s challenging conventional black thought.
During the conversation, he also mentioned that he loved Trump mainly because Trump gave him a meeting about his issues, while Obama did not respond. His specific words were, “Nobody really showed love for me when I was addicted to opioids and in the hospital.”
Darden’s co-host, Rosenberg, tweeted about the phone call, saying, “Kanye West is still an avid Trump supporter…if you’re waiting for him to say ‘my bad’ about his Trump supporters—don’t hold your breath.”
Other high-profile pundits with conservative ideologies responded well to West.
Alex Jones, a conservative host known for saying the Sandy Hook shooting was an orchestrated anti-Second Amendment hoax, among other conspiracy theories, tweeted at West, saying, “I admire your bold moves against the thought police. And if you want to see these control-freak vampires really go crazy, please join me on my podcast.”
https://twitter.com/RealAlexJones/status/988453464291323905?tfw_site=vulture&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vulture.com%2F2018%2F04%2Fkanye-west-raves-his-way-into-trump-worship.html
Even though West is inviting controversy to promote his album, he made it clear to Darden, “I want to lead with love.”
Hopefully West will explain in his album how he plans to lead with love going forward.
