Kanye West received a bag of backlash late last year after expressing support for the newly elected president Donald Trump and later meeting him at Trump Tower.
Since then, the “Famous” rapper deleted tweets endorsing the controversial leader, including the photo he posted of his signed copy of TIME magazine that featured Trump on the cover as “Person of the Year.” Kanye then distanced himself from the spotlight.
Most recently, Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike has come to bat for Ye and his criticized decision to meet with Trump. In an interview with the UK’s Channel 4, Mike said Kanye’s appearance at Trump Tower “didn’t bother” him, adding “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Black people shouldn’t have permanent friends or enemies, they should have permanent interest. If it wasn’t for Dr. Martin Luther King being willing to meet with people like [governor] George Wallace, George Wallace would have not ended up — starting as a racist bigot [and ending] as a person who found God in some way, [and] appointed more blacks to his office than any other governor since him.”
The Atlanta rapper also discussed how Kanye’s Trump meeting doesn’t compare to the meeting the latter had with NFL player Jim Brown. “A musician meeting a presidential candidate isn’t important to me like Jim Brown,” he shared. “Jim Brown, for the last 50 years, has fought against the oppression of all people. Him sitting with President Trump was a significant thing for me, because I know on the other side of the table he was telling the truth.”
The comments are much similar to what Mike Epps shared on Drink Champs earlier this year. When asked about his thoughts on celebrities like Jim Brown, Kanye West, and Steve Harvey (“Steve Harvey don’t give a f—k what a ni–a think about him. That’s how he feels.”) visiting Trump, the comedian offered a telling thought. “The ni–as that’s endorsing him, they are the ni–as that don’t give a f–k. He basically told you that he was racist,” he said. “Now let’s see if one of those black people who got up under him play joker and get what they need to get to help us because it might be one of them doing it.”
“Let me tell you something about Donald Trump,” Epps added. “He doesn’t want to be president.”
Mike Epps on celebrities endorsing Trump: “Let’s see if they get what they need to help us”
Run the Jewels’ RTJ 3 is out now.