Rapper Kanye West is back to his usual shenanigans after a surprising little performance following the “Saturday Night Live” season 44 opener on Sept. 29. As if his singing of the song “I Love It” dressed as a Perrier Sparkling Water bottle wasn’t crazy enough, the 41 year old rapper decided to give a pro-Trump political speech following the outro of the episode.
West has been a public supporter of the president since the election, having been known to share controversial tweets and voice his opinions after hijacking hosts’ microphones, and Saturday’s outburst proved no exception to his history of contentious publicity stunts. As you watch Kanye’s speech, which can only be found on phone recordings as it did not air live on the show, you can sense the awkward tension permeating the room. The audience remains suspended in an uncomfortable silence, except for the occasional “booing.” Even the other cast members on stage, who Kenan Thompson later reported as being “held hostage” during an interview with Seth Meyers, stare uneasily at the ground or the audience as they wait for Kanye’s rant to conclude.
After returning on stage wearing a notorious red MAGA hat, West starts his tirade by claiming the people backstage “bullied” him and told him not to wear the infamous symbol of Trump supporters. He then continues, “It’s so many times that I talk to a white person about this, and they say, ‘How could you support Trump? He’s racist.’ Well, if I was concerned about racism, I would have moved out of America a long time ago.” Kanye West finishes by performing his song “Ghost Town” and stressing the importance of addressing the one-sided tendencies of news and media sources, which are 90 percent liberal, according to him.
Critics and the public backlashers alike think Kanye’s charades will be the end of his career. Yet, the successful rapper continues to sell his music and Yeezy brand products. The great debate as to whether Kanye’s crazy actions are just that—crazy—or if the constant publicity is necessary for the older rapper in a predominantly young industry continues as his new album “Yandhi” is set to release on Nov. 23, 2018. Tune in again soon to read the next installment of Kanye West’s amusing tomfoolery.
