Despite sitting out in 2016, Kanye West will be “definitely voting” come November 2020, and though he did not specifically say for whom, the rapper/entrepreneur hinted that he will pull the lever for President Trump.
In an extensive interview with GQ, published this week, West reiterated his stance that he will not be told which white person to vote for based on the color of his skin.
“Both my parents were freedom fighters, and they used to drink from fountains they were told they couldn’t drink from, and they used to sit in restaurants where they were told they couldn’t eat from,” said West. “They didn’t fight for me to be told by white people which white person I can vote on.”
When asked if his wearing the MAGA hat while hugging President Trump in the Oval Office had the “effect” he intended, West responded, “I didn’t intend for anything except to speak my mind and express how I felt. I have no intention other than to be free, and I don’t intend to be free—I just simply am.”
Later, West said that he will be “definitely voting” this time around, implying that we already know who he will vote for.
“I’m definitely voting this time. And we know who I’m voting on,” he said. “And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here! ‘Jesus Is King’ was No. 1! I was told my career would end if I wasn’t with her. What kind of campaign is that, anyway? That’s like if Obama’s campaign was ‘I’m with black.’ What’s the point of being a celebrity if you can’t have an opinion? Everybody make their own opinion! You know?”
On the subject of independent thinking, earlier in the interview, Kanye West reflected on his famous 2005 statement that President George W. Bush doesn’t “care about black people.” According to West, he was speaking from a “victim mentality.”
“‘George Bush doesn’t care about black people’ is a victim statement,” he said. “This white person didn’t do something for us. That is stemmed in victim mentality. Every day I have to look in the mirror like I’m Robert De Niro and tell myself, ‘You are not a slave.’ As outspoken as I am, and the position that I am in, I need to tell myself.”
“Black people are controlled by emotions through the media,” he added. “The media puts musicians, artists, celebrities, actors in a position to be the face of the race, that really don’t have any power and really are just working for white people. When it’s said like that, it’s kind of obvious, right? We emotionally connect to someone of our color on TV and feel that this person is speaking for us. So let me say this: I am the founder of a $4 billion organization, one of the most Google-searched brands on the planet, and I will not be told who I’m gonna vote on because of my color.”