Why Kanye Deserves Our Support
Ever since Kanye West has been showing his support for Trump, he has been labeled a coon or Uncle Tom. In my opinion an Uncle Tom is somebody who doesnt care about their people or the issues their people face. I could be in denial, but I refuse to believe that Kanye West, somebody who has been speaking out about the plight of black America, racism and mass incarceration, since he started rapping, doesn’t care about his people. I refuse to believe that Kanye West, somebody who has openly stated that he wants to make a documentary about Louis Farrakhan, because he wants Farrakhan to know he is loved by the black community, is an Uncle Tom. Even President Obama, was too fearful to show support for Frarakhan.
I’ve come to a conclusion. Kanye is using politicians how they use the black community and I love it. Politicians have always smiled and said the “right thing” to black people, in order to earn their vote, but then would never pass legislation that helped our community. I believe Kanye is simply befriending Trump, in order to get legislation passed. I could be reaching or giving Kanye too much credit, but hear me out. As recent as 2013, Kanye has called out the Private Prison Industry/ Prison Industrial Complex in his song “New Slaves”.
“Like the New World Order
Meanwhile the DEA
Teamed up with the CCA
They tryna lock niggas up
They tryna make new slaves
See that’s that privately owned prisons
Get your piece today
They prolly all in the Hamptons
Braggin’ ‘bout what they made
Fuck you and your Hampton house”
This is one of the biggest artists on the planet, calling out the fact that the government started the War on Drugs to purposely lock black people up and for profit. As we know, this is no conspiracy theory. This is American history, or shall I say current events, because Mass Incarceration and the War on Drugs, still exists today. A member from the Richard Nixon administration, the same administration that started the War On Drugs, admitted that the purpose was to lock up black people in hopes of destroying their community and arresting their civil rights leaders.
On his 2005 song, Crack Music, Kanye rapped,
“How we stop the black panthers?
Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer”
This is a reference to how Ronald Reagan played a role in the transportation of drugs into this country.
The video below is the notorious former drug dealer,Free Way Ricky Ross(who the rapper Rick Ross named himself after) now activist, discussing how Reagan allowed drugs to come into black communities.
Today in 2018, Kanye West is actually working to get legislation passed to end the War on Drugs. So how do you do that without starting some kind of friendship or some kind of cordiality with the President? This year, his wife Kim Kardashian West, was able to meet with Trump about Prison Reform. She literally helped free a black woman named Alice Marie Johnson from slavery. Yes, Mass Incarceration is slavery, according to the 13th amendment. She was a slave for 21 years for a non violent drug offense. Kim Kardashian West, is now working on her next case to free a Black man, named Chris Young, from slavery.
I could be wrong, but let’s be real, Kanye is most likely the person who educated her on the topic of Mass Incarceration. He is a part of this prison reform in some way shape or form, considering the fact that he has met with Trump before to talk politics. Say what you want about Kanye West or Kim Kardashian-West for that matter, but they are on the frontlines of ending slavery in America. I’ve learned to tune out Kanye’s wild rants, because he is a rapper, an entertainer, and thats simply a part of his persona. It comes with the territory. I don’t know what goes through Kanye’s head. What I do know, is that he is arguably doing more to end mass incarceration than many of our favorite musicians, and truth be told, more than many politicians in America. I also think it’s worth noting that he and Common helped provide jobs for 20,000 youth in Chicago.
Besides mental health treatment, a job is arguably the best social program or social service you can give anybody from a low-income community. Period.
This past weekend, Kanye was the musical guest for Saturday Night Live. What they didn’t air was Kanye speaking about how Democrats tweaked a part of Welfare that resulted in the destruction of the black family. Up until the 1960’s black women were getting married at a higher rate than white women. Thanks to the Democrats at that time, many black men would be forced out of their home. Due to Jim Crow, black men were subjected to mainly low paying menial jobs, or outright job discrimination, which kept them locked in poverty. The new welfare policy gave aid out to black families only if the father was not present in the house. Faced with a decision of staying with their kids and letting them starve, or leaving and allowing them to have food on the table, many decided to leave so their children could have food to eat. This created a cycle of fatherlessness in the black community.
Today over 70 percent of black children are raised in a household with out their father. This is one of the most important issues in our community, that no other rapper is addressing. As we know, it’s not just welfare that helped destroy the black family. The War on Drugs/Mass Incarceration has separated millions of black families as well.
I could be reaching and please tell me if I am, but Kanye’s whole message of “let’s try love” is literally identical to the beliefs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr King once said,
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
No I’m not comparing them nor am I saying Kanye is on the same level as Dr. King as a leader, activist or speaker. My point is that, Dr. King believed racism could end if we loved our oppressors. He was trying to change their hearts with love. He wanted us to love people who were way more openly racist than Trump. Kanye is simply saying we must work with Trump to better the lives of black people, and honestly so far he is doing so. I will never support Trump, nor do I agree with Kanye’s logic but I understand where he is coming from.
More importantly, this year, Kanye wrote a letter to the doctor who is allegedly responsible for the failed plastic surgery operation that killed his mother. If Kanye could forgive and love the same person who was responsible for his mother’s death, who am I to tell him he can not love Trump. Despite it all, I do believe Kanye is mentally going through it and needs our prayers, opposed to having his whole community and race turn his back on him. No matter his antics and rants, Kanye has always remained dedicated to the black community, and I can not find any evidence proving other wise. I just believe he has a different view of how we should seek equality. Lastly, if we are “canceling” any rappers, instead of Kanye , these rappers who are over 35, still promoting genocide (gun violence, crime, and drug abuse) in their lyrics to our black youth, should be the first ones we cancel or at least hold accountable.