Dear Ye,
For the last few months, I’ve watched the news about you and your Instagram posts, stories and Twitter updates hesitantly. Hesitant because as a fan of an artist, it feels like your duty to defend them. But I can’t defend you anymore. When people ask me why I’m a Kanye West fan, first I would tell them how you were an artistic genius, and second, I’d talk about how I saw myself in you. The reason why I saw myself in you? You have never been afraid to speak your mind, a trait that those who have know can get them in trouble or cause them to be disliked. I’ve only been around for nineteen years, but in that time I’ve realized why it’s not always good to speak your mind. Sometimes we are uneducated, sometimes we are ignorant, and sometimes we flat out don’t care how our words will affect other people. And that is the issue you fail to understand.
There has never been a time when you weren’t controversial, but for years Black people have watched your rise to success, and you didn’t just stop at music. You ventured into fashion and became a billionaire because of it. You became a symbol and a role model to people across the country that any one of us can take our situation and build something successful out of it through pure willpower and determination. So naturally, the word hurt is the best way to describe the feelings I have for you lately.
To put it simply, it was bold to collab with Candace Owens and run a fashion show where you had your models tote “White Lives Matter” apparel. You thought you were doing something different and advocating for how Black Lives Matter was all a lie, but do you really understand the power behind that statement? How many years has it been now since you’ve been rich and therefore disconnected from the struggles that average black people face on the daily? How dare you say that George Floyd died from a Fentanyl overdose and not from asphyxiation due to Derek Chauvins’ disregard for human life? It’s easy to apologize and find a way to make the situation about yourself but there is a difference between accountability and an apology. You have to do better. You are the father of four Black children who will one day be able to look at the state of the world and form their own opinions. How will you feel if they come to the conclusion you’re on the wrong side? That you’ve spread more hate and division than you have unity and peace?
There may have been a time in your life when you could’ve sat back and said whatever you wished because you were a nobody. But that time is over. You have a platform, people listen to what you have to say, they look up to you and they are influenced. I wonder if you realize who the group of people cheering you on is because it’s Neo-Nazis. They are using your foolishness to further their agendas of anti-Semitism and racism. “Hey, If Kanye West says it, then what’s wrong with me saying it.” The very thing you’ve never wanted to be is something you’ve already become. A pawn.
It’s time to snap out of it.
Whether that means having a team or someone close to you making sure you aren’t just tweeting every thought that pops into your brain, or something more serious, like a professional mental health intervention, it’s time to take action. Biologically, there is never a time in our life when we become incapable of learning new things. In this situation, I believe it’s possible to make things right, but that can only happen once you educate yourself. Mend the relationships that you’ve damaged with certain communities, put aside your pride, and decide that your family and your career are more important to you than your ego.
So until then, I can no longer call myself a fan. I can merely watch from the sidelines and hope you find your way back home.