Kanye West is notorious for his dropouts, bizarre actions and lack of control. Now there is another taste of it. At the Paris Fashion Week, the rapper provoked with a slogan on his shirt that has racially motivated origins.
Kanye West knows how to polarize once again. So he caused a stir at the Paris Fashion Week with a dubious shirt saying.
The 45-year-old wore a long-sleeved shirt with the slogan "White Lives Matter" printed on it. The singer left it open what he wanted to express, as reported by the industry journal "Variety" and the music magazine "Rolling Stone".
The anti-racism organization "Anti-Defamation League" classifies the sentence as a racist reaction to the "Black Lives Matter" movement, which campaigns against violence against black people. The phrase "White Lives Matter" is widespread in the right-wing scene - not only in the USA, but also in Germany.
West presented his new collection "YZY Season 9" in Paris. Candace Owens posed at his side. She also wore a shirt with "White Lives Matter" printed on it. She posted pictures of it on Twitter. In addition, models walked the catwalk with the controversial phrase.
Owens is known in the US as a journalist and commentator. She is considered one of the most important critics of "Black Lives Matter" and a representative of Afro-American conservatism. She supports ex-US President Donald Trump and is classified by some US media as right-wing extremists.
Owens is also said to have influenced West in becoming a Trump supporter. In 2018, the rapper spoke to the then US President wearing a hat with Trump's slogan MAGA ("Make America Great Again") printed on it.
West keeps making political statements. In 2020 he also ran for the office of US President himself. However, due to missed registration deadlines, he did not make it onto the ballot in most states.
The rapper often causes a stir with bizarre messages on his social channels. According to media reports, he has been suffering from mental health problems for years.
