Trying to make sense of Kanye West’s descent into MAGA-cap Trumpism is a futile and pointless endeavor, but it all came to a head earlier this month when he went on a deliriously unhinged rant while visiting the TMZ lion’s den. It was after said rant – during which Kanye professed his unabashed support for Trump and made incredibly offensive comments about slavery – that some were rightfully starting to question his mental stability.
Much of the media and his fans had been willing to overlook questionable behavior over the years as the price of genius, but that time has long passed. He’s used up all the cultural capital he once amassed with his music, as evidenced by the mass exodus of fans who are no longer willing to make apologies.
Count NBA legend Kobe Bryant among those numbers, who was asked about it when speaking to high school students at a “We Rise LA” event over the weekend. Via TMZ:
[protected-iframe id=”041648641830a3a608a10a3e2007a239-60970621-76566046″ info=”//cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/591531/sp/59153100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/6740162/partner_id/591531?iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura-player-9999999999-13885937277353788&entry_id=0_ljswnepc” width=”560″ height=”395″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]
“I’m sure the same way everybody else here in this room feels. What the hell are you talking about? I think that was my reaction as is everybody else’s reaction….The thing about our country is that you have the right to say whatever it is that you want to say…that’s the beautiful thing about living in a democracy. I think, for him, he’s one of these entertainers that’s always in a constant state of growth, he’s always challenging … himself, doing a lot of questioning internally himself…so I just take it for what it is and completely disagree.”
It’s certainly not a hot take to denounce a statement like that, but it nonetheless serves as a grim reminder that here in the year 2018, statements such as the “Earth is flat” and “slavery was a choice” are real things said by real celebrities without a hint of irony or self-awareness that others must voice their opinions on as well.
