Politics are deeply embedded into all facets of life. This includes the brands we support, the community we live in and all forms of social media. Politics can be a touchy subject and most celebrities tend to shy away from discussing their views, but this is not the case for many musical artists, at least not this past month. Kanye West, Taylor Swift and many more voiced their political opinions in October, leading to an outburst of political discussion and voter registrations. Despite which side you are on, or what party you support, it’s important to educate yourself on today’s issues. Read about what has been going on in the world of music and then and go out and vote!
Kanye West
A rap prodigy who also happens to be the husband of TV’s most popular socialite, Kim Kardashian, and designer of the infamous Yeezy’s collection is not new to controversy. How can we forget when he dissed Taylor Swift at the VMA’s and their ongoing feud? He is still not in the clear after guest starring on SNL and attending a meeting at the White House with President Trump. Kanye has said very controversial things during both of these occasions as he sports his “Make America Great Again” hat. His comments on the Thirteenth Amendment and rant on mental health caused a war on Twitter. Some fans were quick to defend him, while others vowed to never listen to his music or to support his clothing line again. It’s unclear where he stands on the political spectrum because he recently donated money to a Chicago Democratic candidate, Amara Enyia, and made a quick appearance with her at an event this week. There is speculation that this is just a publicity stunt to save face, however, as he prepares for the release of his new, highly-anticipated album.
Azealia Banks and Lana Del Rey
Celebrities are not holding anything back this month. After Kanye’s visit to the White House, Lana Del Rey called out Kanye for being a narcissist and compared him to Trump. That’s when Banks decided to jump in and call Del Rey a “white female liberal” and other distasteful comments related to Del Rey’s looks and political ideologies. In return, Del Rey dissed Banks’ career, and invited Banks over to “talk it out.” Their fight on Twitter went on for a few days, leaving fans divided between the two artists.
Taylor Swift
This pop star was busy touring the country, but still made time to remind fans the importance of going out to vote. In recent years, she has shared photos of her voting at the polls with “I voted” stickers, but it was never clear exactly where she stood on the political spectrum or who she voted for. However, this month, she endorsed Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen, who is running for Senate in Tennessee. Her words of encouragement led to an increase in the number of voters. While she received positive praise for speaking out, she was met with negative press from the President and faced the potential risk of losing fans.
Rihanna
Thanks to our queen, the world is blessed with Fenty Beauty and a lingerie line. Our savior does not stop there; she spends her weekends tweeting global leaders to step up and work towards human rights, education for students and other various initiatives. She isn’t afraid to voice her opinion and stands up for what she believes in. Last week, rumors came out that she was invited to perform at the Super Bowl, but turned down the offer in support of Colin Kaepernick. As much as we would all love to see her perform, we love the commitment and dedication she shows by standing her ground on this political debate.
——-Don’t forget to vote on November 6th, 2018——