Kanye West Wears 'White Lives Matter' Shirt At YZY SZN 9 Presentation
Photo: Rap TV

It’s been a busy few months for Ye. From the YEEZY GAP garbage bags to cutting ties with GAP altogether, the man has been booked and busy in his favorite sport, making the headlines.

Kanye opened the Balenciaga Spring 2023 show a few days ago and was back on the runway today to present YEEZY SZN 9. After a two-hour wait time, the intimate audience of 50 was treated to one of his infamous moving monologues, which included a Virgil Abloh shout-out and ended with “[LVMH CEO] Bernard Arnault is my new Drake.”

His choice in conversation, however, was no odder than the ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’ t-shirt he was delivering it in. In an all-black fit complete with bejeweled thong sandals worn with socks, skinny jeans, and a baseball cap, a ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’ t-shirt was also worn.

Not the most surprising antic, he wore a MAGA hat once and attempted to reclaim the confederate flag a time before that. It’s typical Kanye, but he did seem to knock it up a notch by outfitting conservative political commentator Candice Owens in a coordinating shirt.

Some might argue this is just another one of Kanye’s typical trolls. No one knows why he does it, but “it’s provocative. It gets the people going!” And it does. The internet lights up every time Kanye opens his mouth, but that doesn’t remove the dangers of his latest grab for attention.

Someone with his platform should care about the implications stunts like these cause. Chaos ensues when a Black icon endorses language used by white supremacists.

Whether Kanye’s latest PR ploy is some “genius” marketing tool or another aim at reclamation, it’s, yet again, wildly disappointing.

What do you think?