Kanye West has explained his thinking behind his decision to dress himself and several Black models in “White Lives Matter” West, who legally changed his name to “Ye,” said he wore it because “it’s the obvious thing.”
“The answer to why I wrote ‘White Lives Matter’ on a shirt is because they do,” West said during the interview that aired Thursday.
The artist/designer/provocateur has been facing backlash since he sported the shirt during a surprise catwalk event held during at Paris fashion week.
West recalled a text conversation he had with his dad about the controversial statement.
“I said, ‘I thought the shirt was a funny shirt; I thought the idea of me wearing it was funny.’ And I said, ‘Dad, why did you think it was funny?’ He said, ‘Just a Black man stating the obvious.
‘White Lives Matter’
When Carlson pushed West on why he thinks people consider that a controversial statement, West said that it’s because he’s not acting in a way the media thinks he should act.
“Because the same people that have stripped us of our identity and labeled us as a color, have told us what it means to be Black,” West said.
Diddy Says Kanye West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ Antics Go Beyond Fashion: ‘It’s Not A Joke’
While the music mogul says he will always support the rapper as a “freethinker,” he took to Instagram to condemn the racist t-shirt design debuted at a Yeezy presentation in Paris.
KANYE WEST’S SUPPORTERS have stood with the rapper through near-constant storms of controversy and problematic behavior — from relentless taunting of his ex-wife to calling slavery a choice and everything in between. Needless to say, they’ve learned how to pick their battles. But after West debuted a longsleeved “White Lives Matter” shirt during a showcase for his new Yeezy line at a YZY SZN 9 presentation in Paris, his friends in the fashion world have sided against him. Now, even Sean “Diddy” Combs has decided this is a fight he’s willing to speak up about — because it goes far beyond fashion.
“I am not about to be addressing every last thing that’s going on in the world on the internet, but the thing I do have to address is this ‘white lives matter’ t-shirt,” Diddy said in a recent Instagram video. “I’ve always been there, and I will always support my brother Kanye as a freethinker. But the ‘white lives matter’ t-shirt, I don’t rock with it, you know what I’m saying? I’m not with it.
Adidas says its relationship with Kanye West is under review
Abortion bombshell rocks Georgia Senate race.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Another shoe dropped in the unfolding drama involving Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker when The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that the ex-girlfriend whose abortion he is alleged to have paid for in 2009 is also the mother of one of his four children.
But the next day, neither candidate wanted to talk about it.
Walker, who supports a ban on abortion without any exceptions, issued another blanket denial when asked about The Daily Beast’s reporting Thursday, telling reporters after a campaign event in Wadley: “The abortion thing is false. It’s a lie.”
“The Democrats are desperate for this seat. This seat is important. They’re very desperate for this seat,” Walker said.
His Democratic opponent, Sen. Raphael Warnock, sidestepped two questions from NBC News here about whether he believes Walker’s denials and whether he thinks Georgians can trust Walker. Warnock then pivoted to his support for abortion rights, saying, “The people of Georgia need a senator who will stand with women.”
Warnock and Walker gave their stump speeches at dueling rallies Thursday. Walker spoke of getting his start playing football in Johnson County and then making his way to the University of Georgia and pro football. Warnock mentioned his roots as a Baptist preacher and highlighted his policy achievements over the past two years in the Senate, from the family tax credit in the American Rescue Plan to a highway amendment he co-wrote with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. He said that if he is re-elected he will fight to expand Medicaid in Georgia.
Neither mentioned the abortion allegations, the latest in a string of reports about Walker’s turbulent past that include claims of domestic violence and threats against his former wife. Walker was never criminally charged, and in a recent ad he says he had a “battle with mental health” issues that he has “overcome.”
Warnock treaded cautiously when he was asked about those issues.
“What we are hearing about my opponent is disturbing. And I think the people of Georgia have a real choice about who they think is ready to represent them in the United States Senate,” Warnock told reporters Thursday, without directly addressing the abortion story.
Abortion bombshell
The Daily Beast reported that it corroborated details of the woman’s abortion accusation with a close friend whom “she told at the time and who, according to the woman and her friend, took care of her in the days after the procedure.” It also published what the woman said was a “get well” card signed by Walker and said she had provided both the receipt from the abortion clinic and a bank deposit showing an image of Walker’s check reimbursing her for the procedure. The Daily Beast said it did not identify the woman to protect her privacy.
Abortion bombshell
Walker denied the story and said he planned to sue the site for defamation.
The detente is a product of several factors. Warnock’s visible discomfort with personal politics makes him reluctant to go negative on his rival. Warnock’s allies, meanwhile, see the question more as a battle between Walker and Georgia voters — why give his opponent a chance to bring him into the story?
Instead, outside Democratic groups have taken on the role of attack dog and are watching the story unfold in search of opportunities to get involved. Beyond that, Warnock’s core voters seem to prefer he keep his focus elsewhere.
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