On a sunny afternoon in September 2005, Kanye West, standing next to a baffled Mike Myers, proclaimed to the world, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Fast forward 18 years, and we're left scratching our heads wondering: Does Kanye West care about black people either?
The man once applauded for calling out racial disparities during the Bush administration has since made headlines with some eyebrow-raising comments of his own. Let's start with his fashion statement at his Yeezy Season 9 show at Paris Fashion Week in 2022. Kanye sported a "White Lives Matter" shirt, explaining it was a "gut instinct" and that white lives indeed do matter. This raised more than a few eyebrows in the Black community and beyond.
Fast forward to West's infamous TMZ interview where he suggested that "400 years of slavery sounds like a choice." Kanye, come on! We're all for artistic freedom, but attempting to rewrite history like it's a new track doesn't quite hit the right notes.
Next up: Kanye's camaraderie with none other than Donald Trump, complete with a "Make America Great Again" hat. Yes, the same hat many believe symbolizes a time when racial inequality was even more deeply ingrained in American society.
Still not convinced? Kanye's comments about George Floyd's tragic death might have you shaking your head. Despite overwhelming evidence, Ye claimed Floyd died of a drug overdose rather than the knee of a police officer.
Oh, and remember Harriet Tubman? The iconic woman who bravely led many enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad? Kanye paused during one of his famous rants to drop the bomb that "Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people."
So where does all of this leave us? With a question, it seems. In the wise words of Kanye West, does Kanye West care about black people?
What do you think?