Despite the hefty backlash, Kanye West is standing by his decision to design and wear a “White Lives Matter” logo on designs for his YZY SZN 9 fashion show.
The rapper turned fashion mogul had the internet in a frenzy after photos from Monday’s Paris Fashion Week show surfaced online. Ye was pictured alongside controversial far right-wing commentator Candace Owens – a vocal critic of the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Kanye and Owens both wore the “White Lives Matter” shirt, as did several YZY runway models.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 3, 2022
Kanye West became the No.1 trending topic on Twitter, with fans sharing their opinions, many critical of the move. Jaden Smith, who was reportedly at the show, walked out and condemned Ye online. “I Don’t Care Who’s It Is If I Don’t Feel The Message I’m Out, ” he penned. “Black Lives Matter.”
Boosie Badazz and Van Lathan also called out Kanye over the controversial shirt, alongside many others.
Kanye West Responds to “White Lives Matter” Backlash
As with most of his recent controversies, Kanye West took to Instagram to respond. He first shared a message in his Stories: “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam.” Ye then shared a photo of the “White Lives Matter” shirt and doubled down on the message in the caption.
“Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO,” wrote Ye on Wednesday.
One person in Kanye West’s corner is Diddy, who said Ye is often “misconstrued,” although he added, ‘ain’t no time for no other lives matter but the tribe.”
“Kanye, my boy, is a super, super, super free thinker,” Diddy said during an interview with The Breakfast Club. “A lot of times what he means is like misconstrued and sometimes just… I’m not making excuses. I’m just saying that if he did it, that’s the way he thinks, and so I understand white lives do matter but it’s not that. That was our slogan. That wasn’t our slogan to go share with nobody else. That’s the only message.”
Diddy then highlighted disproportionate rates of African Americans incarcerated and living in poverty.
“It really ain’t no time for no other lives matter but the tribe,” he stated. “You have to be unapologetically Black and love your people and love your tribe first.”
He continued, “We ain’t got no time for no internet ‘White Lives Matter’… we need to be focusing on ourselves. Let them White Lives themselves out.” Listen to his comments in full below.