Kanye West Bashes Racist Liberal Elite, Addresses Being "Republican Pawn"

Kanye West slams the notion that he's being used as a pawn for the Republicans while calling out the behavior of the "liberal elite."

BYAron A.
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Kanye West's outspoken nature made him a perfect fit for the Joe Rogan Experience. The rapper sat down with Joe Rogan for the latest episode of the podcast where he addressed the rumors that he's being used as a pawn for the Republican. Beyond that, he used that moment to bash what he describes as the "liberal elite."

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"It was just this calling on my heart. I remember talking to really, like, elitist writers. I was trying to avoid saying White Supremacists but like, elite -- the Liberal elites are like... 'Boy, who you gonna vote on?' You know, like, 'who are you to run for office if you can't even run off ballots?'...," Kanye said around the 1:48-mark. "People are saying that to me but I could get on ballots," he continued.

Kanye called out those who claimed he was a pawn for Republicans, saying the Democrats, too, use Black celebrities as pawns. "I'm not trying to take any sides of Democrats or Republicans. I'm just saying why were people so much thinking that I was a form of a pawn," he continued, adding that he could be considered a "liberal elite" due to the writing on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It should be noted that there have been several reports that Republicans and Trump associates have been tied to Kanye's presidential campaign.

"One of the most racist things that Liberals who pride themselves on not being racist have said to me is, like, 'You're going to split the Black vote.' And that makes it seem, like, Black people can't make decisions for ourselves and that don't no white people know me... They make it seem like only Black people will vote for me. Think about that statement. The nuance of institutionalized racism and this would be like somebody from the art world," he continued. "No one has really been able to embrace the idea of Blacks not being in a block and staying in one place."

Kanye West's entire interview with Joe Rogan is up live. Peep the episode below. Is Kanye making more sense after watching this video?


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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.