Last Updated on October 4, 2022
Hip-hop legend Kanye West said that the Black Lives Matter movement was a scam in a now-deleted Instagram post. West was speaking in response to backlash he received over wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt alongside conservative activist Candace Owens on Monday.
“Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it’s (sic) over. You’re welcome,” the rapper wrote in the now-deleted Instagram story. Instagram stories auto-delete after being live for 24 hours.
On Monday, Kanye West and conservative commentator Candance Owens appeared in “White Lives Matter” shirts at the rapper’s Yeezy fashion show in Paris. Though West did not disclose additional information on the slogan, the shirts were met with intense backlash from leftist and anti-white social media users and public figures. Will Smith’s son and fellow artist Jaden Smith attended West’s Yeezy show, but he reportedly left the event due to the “controversy,” Fox News reported.
The statement “White Lives Matter” prompted Smith to go on a lengthy Twitter tirade where he tweeted “true leaders lead” and “we demand a more progressive future.”
Others accused West of promoting a “white supremacist” and “racist” message. Former ESPN host Jemele Hill said that Kanye was promoting a “dangerous message” by wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt, even if it was simply a marketing ploy.
“So many folks are trying to excuse Kanye wearing a white lives matter t-shirt as just a troll move or marketing. Maybe it is. But it’s a dangerously dumb message to send for someone with his massive platform,” Hill wrote. “I been off dude. But y’all go ahead labeling his foolishness as genius.”
This is all that needs to be said in regards to Kanye West and his White Lives Matter shirt. pic.twitter.com/v2ykdgT4WN
— _Joesy_
(@015Serenity) October 3, 2022
So many folks are trying to excuse Kanye wearing a white lives matter t-shirt as just a troll move or marketing. Maybe it is. But it’s a dangerously dumb message to send for someone with his massive platform. I been off dude. But y’all go ahead labeling his foolishness as genius.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 3, 2022
Monday was not the first time Kanye West has angered leftists with his political views. In 2018, West met with President Trump in the oval office while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.