Justin Vernon Says He "Can't Really Kick it" With Kanye West Anymore

They're still friends, though.

BYAron A.
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Bon Iver's Justin Vernon has a great track record with Kanye West. For the past decade, Justin Vernon has arguably been a key component in Kanye's tracklist, going back from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy days to even Ye and Kids See Ghosts. Kanye is undoubtedly a different person now than he was at the top of the decade, but that's normal; it's the evolution of being human. However, that also meant that some of his own political beliefs have changed also. He professed his love for Donald Trump last year which made the internet collectively scratch their heads. But unfortunately, Ye's political alignments have cost him some relationships.

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Justin Vernon recently dished about his relationship with Kanye West with Pitchfork. He dished out playing three-on-three basketball games with Ye during recording sessions, artists like Kendrick Lamar, Common, Win Butler of The Arcade Fire popping by. But he also explained that he and Kanye have drifted apart to an extent. 

"Vernon and Kanye’s idea of how to run a highly collaborative recording session may be the same, but they have drifted apart in their politics. “I can’t really kick it with him anymore on a personal level, just the energy,” Vernon tells me, diplomatically. “But I’ve got mad love for him, and we’re still friends.” As opposed to Kanye's infamous Trump worship, Vernon is more attracted to the progressive ideologies of Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.

Bon Iver is fresh off of the release of their latest project, i,i that arrived last week. 

 


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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.