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ausetkmt · 2 years

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PARIS — Yeezy is dead. Long live YZY. Stage three of the ambitions of Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — to dress the world has begun.

Presumably that was supposed to be the takeaway from the surprise show of Paris Fashion Week, held off-schedule in an empty office tower just down the road from the Arc de Triomphe.

Though it turned out to be only nominally a fashion show and more like “The YZY Experience”: a chaotic mess of self-justification, confessional, bone-picking and messianic ambition, with a “White Lives Matter” shot of shock and provocation that overshadowed the clothes on the runway.

The rumors began during the weekend, just a day or so before the Balenciaga mud show. Ye was in Paris and was going to stage a fashion show — a little more than two weeks after ending his much-ballyhooed partnership with Gap.

Maybe it would happen Monday? Maybe not; Ye had just fired his PR agency. No wait, it was happening; he had found another agency. Then, Sunday night, a digital invite arrived. For the next evening. Guests were asked not to share the address.

Monday at 5:45 p.m., the Avenue de la Grande Armée was heaving with screaming fans and photographers. So much for secrecy. They outnumbered the show’s actual attendees by what seemed like 100 to one.YZY, spring 2023.Credit...YZYSZN9

Still, Anna Wintour came. So did John Galliano. Demna, the Balenciaga designer, and Cédric Charbit, its chief executive. Alexandre Arnault, the chief marketing officer of Tiffany & Company and a son of the LVMH chieftain Bernard Arnault. Then they all sat, playing with the soap-on-rope that looked like three granite blocks and had been left on every seat, waiting an hour and a half for the show to begin. (Well, OK, Anna and John left before the whole thing ended, but that was because they had another appointment, Ms. Wintour said.)

It was as good a reflection as anything this week of just how the culture and power structure of fashion and entertainment has changed in the past decade. Because it was 11 years ago, in early October 2011, that Ye held his first fashion show in Paris.

The line at that time was called “Kanye West.” Heavy on the luxury frills — leather and fur and gold hardware — it was widely dismissed by its audience. But this time there they were, the powers that be of the industry, jumping at the last minute to see what Ye had to deliver.

Join Vanessa Friedman to explore the direct impact of Fashion Week and its cultural influence, especially as virtual trends emerge.

Which involved a live choir featuring a host of children from Ye’s new Donda Academy in California as well as his daughter, North, and began with his rambling speech about critics who complained about his shows being late; his former manager, Scooter Braun; his hospitalization (Ye has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder); the pain of being called “crazy”; critics who complained that his clothes might not be well made; the people at Gap who didn’t get his vision; Bernard Arnault, whom he called “his new Drake”; and the news that he was establishing yet another version of his own fashion house and it started now.

Because “we changed the look of fashion over the last 10 years. We are the streets. We are the culture.” And when it comes to the culture, “I am Ye, and everyone knows I am the leader.”

Except this leader was wearing an oversize shirt with a photo of Pope John Paul II and the words “Seguiremos tu ejemplo” (“We will follow your example”) on the front, and “White Lives Matter” on the back — a phrase that the Anti-Defamation League has called hate speech and attributed to white supremacists (including the Ku Klux Klan), who began using it in 2015 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The shirt was impossible to miss because, as he spoke, Ye’s image was projected behind him on a wall four stories high.

Besides, Candace Owens, the conservative commentator, was in the audience and wearing one, too. Later the shirt appeared as part of the collection, modeled by Selah Marley, the daughter of Lauryn Hill and granddaughter of Bob Marley. (Matthew M. Williams, the Givenchy designer who worked with Mr. West earlier in his career; Michéle Lamy, Rick Owens’s wife; and Naomi Campbell also walked in the show.)

It was the only message garment in the line, which was called SZN9 in reference to the Yeezy shows that had come before, created in conjunction with Shayne Oliver, the former designer of Hood By Air (Ye is nothing if not a great spotter and cultivator of talent). Which made it stand out even more in a show otherwise focused on garments that could simply be pulled onto the body, with no hardware — buttons or zips or snaps — involved, an idea that Ye first began talking about in the context of his work with Gap.

As it happened, a lot of this line looked like that line, especially that part of that line engineered with Balenciaga’s Demna, including the full-body catsuits that opened the show, the duvet-like puffer ponchos, the blouson jackets and sweats that made the torso into a sort of steroid-filled G.I. Joe triangle, the lack of seams and the semi-apocalyptic palette.

It has potential, but the import got swamped by the shirt, what it symbolized, and how its endorsement by a figure such as Ye — even one with a track record of wearing MAGA hats and toying with Confederate imagery — could be used as a rallying cry by those who already buy into its message.

“Indefensible behavior,” wrote Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the Vogue editor, on Instagram. Later adding, “there is no excuse, there is no art here.” Jaden Smith, in the audience, walked out. So did Lynette Nylander, the Dazed writer and editor.

The next day, at the Chanel show, Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue and the most powerful Black man in fashion media, called the shirt “inappropriate” and “insensitive, given the state of the world.”

Ms. Nylander had posted, “It doesn’t matter what the intention was … it’s perception to the masses out of context.”

Indeed, in the end, it is the shirt out of context that made the news: not Ye’s theories about dress, or his allegations that Mr. Arnault promised to set him up in his own house and then reneged and now has become Ye’s biggest competition (an LVMH representative said Mr. Arnault had “no comment”); not even Ye’s assertion that, having disrupted the fashion week spotlight, he still felt “at war.” If so, this was a grenade that backfired.

As to why he did it, backstage Ye declined to provide any theoretical framework. “It says it all,” he said, of the shirt. But what exactly does it say?

That he truly believes he can appropriate the language of racial violence with irony? That someday the power structure of Black and white will be reversed, and since he says this collection is the future, that’s the world he envisions? That Ye gets a kick out of pushing everyone’s buttons? That he wants to see how far he can go and doesn’t really care about, or think about, the collateral damage in the meantime (including to those children singing at his feet), despite the violence this could feed?

Or that, as he said in his speech, “You can’t manage me. This is an unmanageable situation.”

#yeezie #kanye west #get him some help y'all #There Is No Excuse for Ye’s ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt

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wantsarchive · 2 years

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@cheyanderson For @yzy [YZYSZN9] || @wantsarchive 🪩✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CjUTsdxsIn6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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freetrash · 2 years

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YZYSZN9

Paris Fashion Week

October 2022

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icndm · 1 year

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#yzyszn9 #yeezy season 9 #rabbit #alien #alien species #aliens #design #art #artist #ye #kanye west #fashion show #fashion design

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bllsbailey · 2 years

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Ye and Candace Owens Sport 'White Lives Matter' T-Shirts, the Left Melts Down

The artist formerly known as Kanye West could give conservatives lessons on how to trigger the Left without breaking a sweat.

Now legally known as “Ye,” the mogul rapper, designer, political disruptor, and raconteur first became famous for his music. Now Ye is infamous for his embrace of MAGA, his “Sunday Service” religious fervor, his recent foray into politics, and his rocky marriage to Kim Kardashian. In 2013, Ye broke the internet when he threw up a $120 white T-shirt for pre-sale to promote his merger of Yeezy brand with French brand A.P.C.

The shirt sold out within hours.

But Monday’s shenanigans went way beyond that, and the meltdowns have been epic.

Ye appeared in Paris for Fashion Week and did a surprise show for his Yeezy Season 9 collection. Ye and his invited guest, The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens, both sported long-sleeved T-shirts that read, “White Lives Matter.”

Apparently, the models sporting his line also had similar shirts.

Kanye West and Candace Owens in Paris pic.twitter.com/klj4rxsyAj — Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@WUTangKids) October 3, 2022

From Page Six:

Kanye West is making a statement. The rapper staged a surprise Yeezy fashion show on Monday in Paris, showcasing his Season 9 collection to much fanfare. Before the models appeared, West gave a speech while wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt emblazoned with the Pope’s face on the front and the same bedazzled flip-flops he sported last week.

Cue the outrage in 3… 2… 1…

I feel like this image is what a stroke feels like. Fr tho, Kanye giving a shoutout to a literal neo-Nazi propaganda campaign is a major (and strangely unanticipated?) concern and problem. https://t.co/dIYfooo0c2 — Garfield but Anti-Fascist (@AntifaGarfield) October 3, 2022

I guess this transcends Ye wearing a MAGA Hat and his visit to the Trump White House. People are truly triggered.

Seeing Ye and Candace both in that shirt hurts my soul. Whatever nuance there was as part of his fashion show pales in comparison to seeing someone who is so politically destructive and reprehensible standing there with Ye, emblazoned with that phrase. — Watching the Throne (@KanyePodcast) October 3, 2022

Lack of melanin, and the fact that Ye feels these people matter is quite the issue with this bunch. They probably would have given Ye the side eye if his shirt said, “All Lives Matter,” but the specific focus of this message is causing heads to explode. One blue check publication failed to use a dictionary before tweeting to look up the meaning of the word, “fascism.” The last time I checked, Ye was not part of the government, and Yeezy is not a fashion brand endorsed by the government. However, Ye is stupid rich and knows how to make (and keep) his dollars. Ye also knows how to flip the bird at certain factions, without actually flipping the bird.

Kanye West continues his long slide into fascism by wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt: https://t.co/9qdkIHvGbv pic.twitter.com/H65ajzQMMM — CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) October 3, 2022

Ye’s speech before the runway show was free association, as is his style.

He referenced his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s 2016 Paris robbery, his former manager Scooter Braun, the struggles he faced entering the fashion industry, his recent fallout with Gap and much more. “I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader,” he said at one point, referencing his new legal name. “You can’t manage me.”

"I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader" #YZYSZN9 pic.twitter.com/MTo4lPT22L — Photos Of Ye (@PhotosOfKanye) October 3, 2022

Ye is indeed a leader, and totally unmanageable, which makes this all the more delicious that the Left is having conniption fits. In 2005, when “Kanye” was screaming on public television that President George W. Bush hates white people, he was cheered and applauded.

Then Ye publicly embraced that Bad Orange Man, and well… the Left blamed mental illness and acted as though he had a communicable disease. They couldn’t destroy him fast enough or vociferously enough. He was off the reservation and he had to be stopped.

They didn’t succeed, thanks to that stupid rich part and the fact that Ye lives who he is, and doesn’t seek approval or permission. Love him or hate him, he will stand for what he believes. Ye may have distanced himself from Trump and the MAGA associations, but he is still outspoken about freedom of speech and the evils of abortion.

USA Today gave more attention to his speech and his business focus:

He continued at another point: “People feel like they have the right to come to my face and call me crazy, like it doesn’t hurt my feelings, or like you don’t have to be crazy in order to change the world.” The rapper and fashion designer has made headlines in the last month for a public breakup with Gap. He told Vogue Business in an interview published Monday ahead of the show that he now plans on running Yzy as a vertically integrated business. “Even George Lucas had issues with Disney,” he told the outlet. “And now we’re here, and Yzy is established on its own.”

The social media bastion known as #BlackTwitter has also been going nuts. Ye has replaced mythical creatures and celebrities playing historical artifacts as the subject of their fire tweets.

Didn’t #candaceowens just call your baby momma a whore last week? #kanyewest #kanye #ye #blacktwitter pic.twitter.com/WHLwXuSPk2 — Galactic Unicorn (@GalacticUncrn) October 4, 2022

It’s his ex-wife, and if the shoe fits….

Step aside, Larry Elder, now Ye is the new Black Face of White Supremacy.

#kanye #KanyeWest #BlackTwitter #BREAKING #exposed People like KanyeWest believe that WS don't exist. KanyeWest are WS in Black Face. https://t.co/gcOccyRvoC — KingLionCrown (@kinglioncrown) October 3, 2022

Ye is on a whole other level, very similar to Elon Musk. Ye has enough F-U money, creativity, and street creds that it doesn’t matter what other people think. As he said above, he cannot be managed.

Ye is also a shrewd businessman. You don’t garner a net worth of 6.6 billion and growing without having that acumen. Like Musk, Ye is adept at playing to his followers and playing the media to his advantage. Every commentary about his fashion event is looking for a “statement” about the tees. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Ye received more in marketing and advertising than he could have paid Madison Avenue to get. The fact that Ye is shopping for a new partnership after dropping his deal with Gap should also not be lost on observers. This move culls the herd for only the true believers and the committed to need to apply.

Savvy and a bit Savage.

I do not care whose name is on it, I am not stupid rich, so would not pay stupid money for that t-shirt. But once Ye strikes that retail partnership he is seeking, we’ll see whether his statement goes beyond clever marketing to a movement.

It is not like it hasn’t happened before.

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tyrellthealien · 2 years

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YZYSZN9 was fire he just too ahead

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cordeanil · 2 years

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YZYSZN9, Fim do Mundo, Duna, Crise Climática, Brutalismo, Coral e Ultrassons

No dia 3 de outubro de 2022 foi apresentada a nova coleção da Yeezy na Paris Fashion Week 2023, intitulada de YZYSZN9. A direção criativa foi do Ye, contou com diversas parcerias e foi apresentada pra um seleto público de 50 pessoas, e seus cartões de acesso eram imagens de ultrassons 3D de gravidez.

O espaço do desfile não seguia o padrão de palco-platéia linear de dois lados, utilizava-se da arquitetura em formato de meio-circulo do *inserir edifício* e o coral da Donda Doves, projeto escolar criado por Ye, ficava ao centro desse semi-circulo, cantou e performou até o fim do desfile. O público foi distribuído no mesmo nível que acontecia o desfile e nos mezaninos, nesses tendo vista superior total dos modelos e do coral.

O show teve transmissão online simultaneamente, e eram apresentados cada composição antes da passarela, no presencial essa apresentação foi feita em um telão vertical de tecido na parede com pé direito-duplo. A luminotécnico era composta por uma luz amarela confortável e em outros momentos mais lúdicos, com luz azul.

Um vídeo começou a transmitir com vídeos soltos e dos seus filhos e vozes de personalidades importantes para história, como Steve Jobs, Kim Kardashian, James Turrell, John Lennon, Elon Musk e, o próprio Ye.

A coleção apresentada segue a paleta dos últimos tempo do artista, tons pretos e suas variadas texturas e neutros nudes arenosos, seguindo a atual estética de Ye dark-neutral. Importante pontuar isso pois essas cores remetem a elementos da natureza ou degradados dessa, as formas e texturas transitam do brutalismo para o escola japonista.

Essa combinação de tons, texturas e formas não é gratuita se colocada junto ao contexto de mudanças climáticas mundial e ao contexto pessoal de Ye, que foi muito influenciado nos primórdios de sua vida por Star Wars. Ele comenta em entrevista recente ao Alo Yoga, que era um grande fã da saga e que passou mais tempo vendo [os filmes da saga] do que na faculdade. Então, não podemos descartar essas influencias pessoais e o contexto social-econômico ao que foi apresentado nessa coleção.

Não é de hoje que Ye é adepto a polêmica balaclava (capuz que cobre o rosto e é normalmente associada a pessoas crime), se não foi o primeiro a ressignificar seu uso nos últimos anos, foi um dos, e agora o item é acessório cool que divide espaço com uma bolsinha chanel no guarda-roupa de garotas ricas. Só que nessa coleção a balaclava veio com uma pegava mais utilitária, não apenas como cobertura ajustada ao rosto, apareceram largas, com formatos sobreçalentes ao rosto, como se fossem grandes máscaras respiratórias, acopladas em roupas, capuzes, jaquetas.

Uma das parcerias feitas para essa coleção foi com Michèle Lamy, esposa do Rick Owens, conhecido por ser um dos maiores nomes do brutalismo na moda e design. Também foi feita parceria com a Hood By Air, marca/coletivo de arte/movimento de estilo nova iorquino dirigido por Shayne Oliver.

Quando o brutalismo aparece no mundo, nunca é em cenários favoráveis. Na arquitetura é caracterizado por estruturas densas, forte, robustas, que aguentem a guerras. Ou ao menos passem essa imagem. O mundo recorre a esses elementos quando necessita se manter em sociedades de escassez. Precisamos de coisas duráveis. Esse conceito não se restringe a arquitetura. Tanto arquitetura, quanto a moda são reflexos da sociedade e da economia. Seria essa a leitura de Ye para a moda à cenários de catástrofes ambientais, de um mundo que culminou em uma atmosfera completamente agressiva e não-respirável? Em Star Wars as roupas eram preparadas para o deserto, leves, longas, cobriam todo o corpo. Em Duna já foram além, possuíam tecnologia para respirar através das roupas. Seriam as roupas de Ye, as roupas que a humanidade vai usar pra habitar o planeta vermelho?

A volumetria e textura seguem essa ideia de leveza e materiais de origem natural. Como se tivessem saído de um deserto. Mas os acessórios brilhantes, prateados e em formas agudas e orgânicas da uma atmosfera mais cyber futurista, fazendo essa coleção um momento de trânsito, de deserto para o espaço, uma sociedade em decadência rumo um futuro difícil. Ah, sem zíperes e botões! Foram uma características diferencial das peças.

Sobre as peças superiores foram apresentadas camisetas e blusas com os dizeres estampados "white lives matters" nas costas, e na parte frontal uma estampa de um padre branco católico. Internautas se questionaram imediatamente se era uma crítica e ficaram muito confusos sobre. Bom, tem como ser outra coisa além de uma crítica? Eu acho que não.

Em sua música, "Black Skinhead", New Slaves” and “Blood On The Leaves” do album Yeezus, Ye propôs uma crítica semelhante. Na ironia, atacar o racismo e levantar a discussão sobre as violências estruturadas e difundidas a população negra. Nem todo mundo concorda com essa abordagem, nem eu sei se concordo em 100% do tempo. Mas a camiseta em sua ironia, em seu protesto levanta um debate constante. Se uma pessoa negra usa, é facilmente identificável que é ironia. Se uma pessoa branca usa, é uma "red flag" porque dentro do contexto a pessoa pode estar usando por ironia , mas sempre será uma questão, então pessoas brancas podem de fato usar de forma irônica? Acho que não. Ou então é um claro sinal que é uma supremacista branca e um alarme pro ambiente geral, se reagirem a ela, agirão certo, se não, todos ali são supremacista brancos. E, considerando que nem todo mundo que vai usar vai entender a ironia então é uma ironia dupla (ta andando muito com o Demna, hein?). E complementa o discurso sobre raça, de abertura do desfile:

"Art wins, love wins... Media loses, division loses. God made us all different races."

Sobre as peças agora, os elementos superiores apresentados em sua maioria são interpretações de uma jaqueta puffer e capas/ponchos, com caimentos alongados, ou proporções mais triangulares, outras mais ovais, assimétricos e até descontruídos. Mas quando sobreposições, sempre com grandes volumes em relação as calças.

As calças apareceram mais justas, por muitas vezes sendo até leggings, diferenciado-se das silhuetas dos últimos anos com cortes mais retos ou boca larga.

Itens peça únicas apareceram como macacões justos cobrindo toda superfície corporal, também acompanhado das máscaras, e também vestidos de malha de alça fina com aberturas no estilo subversive basics. E também como peças parecendo roupas de astronautas, de novo, para climas muito difíceis. Usado por homens e mulheres, sem nenhum tipo de distinção de gênero. Falei isso apenas na parte dos vestidos, mas a coleção inteira parece ser feita dessa maneira.

Outro item importante e que reafirma a estética que vem sendo construída nos últimos meses por Ye, são os sapatos. As botas gigantes, características da Balenciaga, reapareceram. Mas, outros formatos e dimensões também foram apresentados, mais compactos e que acompanhavam o volume das leggings. Ao mesmo tempo que em alguns modelos se sobressaiam em largura e chegavam até o joelho.

O evento fechou com o desfile da modelo veterana Naomi Campbell, que usava uma peça com grande forma e largura, que sem nenhuma dificuldade conduziu a si e a peça com mastria entre o público e os pilares do prédio. Dias antes foi liberada uma lista de modelos que em teoria participariam do desfile, mas no fim foi Naomi a escolhida.

Ye acompanhava o desfile dançando no ritmo da música, encostado em um pilar observada tudo, vestido com a blusa do white lives matters e o chinelo de correia de diamante. Vibrou muito no fim e foi recebido carinhosamente pelas filhas.

Nota: o texto foi escrito antes do posicionamento de Ye sobre o significado das camisetas White Lives Matters, foi feito baseado no histórico dos álbuns e na minha interpretação, era o que eu achei que seria o posicionamento e não foi bem o que aconteceu, as motivações dele foram confuso em seus diversos textos e entrevistas dadas posteriormente.

No geral, ele se posiciona contra a fachada e lugar de intocável, que o movimento Black Lives Matters atingiu, pois acredita não ser suficiente para melhorar a vida da população negra, e também acredita ser uma grande lavagem de dinheiro. Em outro momento diz que as camisetas também eram um agradecimento em retribuição as pessoas brancas que apoiaram o movimento BLM que usaram camisetas escritas Black Lives Matters, mas colocar essas camisetas escritas White Lives Matters em pessoas brancas as tornam supremacista brancas.

Artistas, designers, figuras públicas referência da modas e no geral que se posicionaram abertamente na internet contra o feito de Ye receberam retaliações diretas dele através de sua conta do instagram, não está aberto a conversa. Com um tema tão complicado e uma forma tão brusca de levantar a discussão, dividindo opiniões. E foi banido do Instagram, procurou refúgio no twitter e após uma série de tweets também foi banido de lá.

Mas no fim, mesmo o tiro saindo pela culatra por não conseguir de fato comunicar o que queria que fosse dito em seu "protesto", pois acredito que Ye sabe que não estava só fazendo buzz pra ficar na mídia, ou até mesmo se foi esse o objetivo, conseguiu levar a discussão muito adiante.

Agora o questionamento que fica: valeu a pena pra Ye, mesmo conseguindo pelo meio que foi espalhar a discussão do movimento BLM estar desviando dinheiro, perder suas redes e ser novamento colocado no lugar de "maluco" depois de todo percurso de autopreservação da sua saúde mental nos últimos meses após o divórcio? Em diversas entrevistas recentes o mesmo diz se sentia machucado quando uma pessoa aleatória na rua olhava pra ele e apontava o dedo o chamando de doido sem ao menos o conhecer de verdade.

O que, nos tempos de redes sociais, é algo muito difícil de se fazer em passarelas e semanas de modas das últimas temporadas pra cá, pois o objetivo de toda marca agora é esse, prender atenção por mais tempo online, e por isso, cada vez mais vemos muitas coisas extraordinárias sendo apresentadas em uma mesma temporada de marcas diferentes, que acabam ficando apagadas por não ter como se atentar a tanta informação de uma vez. No fim, do dia, moda não é sobre roupa mesmo.

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ausetkmt · 2 years

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If we told you pre-2016 that Kanye West, who has shortened his name to Ye, would walk in Paris Fashion Week for Balenciaga, of which his ex-wife Kim Kardashian is an ambassador just weeks after ending his Gap x Balenciaga x YZY collab, you probably wouldn’t have believed us, nor would it have made much sense.

Now what if we told you that the next day, his surprise YZYSZN9 show would end with “White Lives Matter” trending on Twitter? We would probably open a hole in the space-time continuum. Unfortunately, the fallout of today’s YZYSZN9 fashion show is not a glitch in the matrix, but very much real.

While opening the show with an impassioned speech, West donned a long-sleeve shirt with the Pope’s face on the front and “White Lives Matter” on the back. As if that wasn’t controversial enough, he also sported the bedazzled flip-flops that sparked outrage and enthusiasm online just a week prior.

Some models wore the “White Lives Matter” shirt down the runway, and West posed side-by-side with Black conservative influencer Candace Owens in contrasting “White Lives Matter” shirts.

\u201chttps://t.co/e8nlOFBg06\u201d — Candace Owens (@Candace Owens) 1664821106

Though only a handful of West's inner circle attended, the show was also live-streamed, opening it up to immediate internet discourse, pontification and general mess. The name “Kanye West” quickly became the number one trending phrase on Twitter, with “White Lives Matter” just three rungs behind (after National Boyfriend Day and Elon... we can unpack that later).

\u201c\u201cFor you\u201d national boyfriend day is celebrated and white lives matter\u2026\u201d — HEEDlE (@HEEDlE) 1664822225

Even though the show started an hour late, some were quick to jump ship as soon as the “White Lives Matter” shirt made an appearance.

\u201cI Don\u2019t Care Who\u2019s It Is If I Don\u2019t Feel The Message I\u2019m Out.\u201d — Jaden (@Jaden) 1664820773

Others stuck it out.

\u201cim gonna pretend i didnt wait over an hour for that k*nye show only to see wh*te l*ves m*tter tees on the runway lord pls send the floods....\u201d — india jade (@india jade) 1664819067

While the shock value of the statement was high, some weren’t surprised by West's continued use of white supremacist sentiments, from sporting a "Make America Great Again" hat to his Trump endorsement.

\u201cKanye west making Black models wear \u201c white lives matter\u201d shirts is a culmination of his anti blackness and his immersion in white supremacy ideologies and methods. Disgusting\u201d — \ua9c1\u0f3a\u04c4\u025b\u025b\u0584 \u0236\u0280\u0268\u0262\u0262\u025b\u0280\u0268\u057c\u0262 \u0280\u01df\u0188\u0268\u0586\u0236\u0586 \u028d\u025b\u0262\u0266\u01df\u057c\u0f3b\ua9c2 (@\ua9c1\u0f3a\u04c4\u025b\u025b\u0584 \u0236\u0280\u0268\u0262\u0262\u025b\u0280\u0268\u057c\u0262 \u0280\u01df\u0188\u0268\u0586\u0236\u0586 \u028d\u025b\u0262\u0266\u01df\u057c\u0f3b\ua9c2) 1664820644

\u201cKanye: *supports Trump* \n\nKanye stans: don\u2019t worry guys he\u2019s just trolling hard lmao \n\nKanye: *wears white lives matter shirt*\n\nKanye stans: lmao you guys fell for it, classic Kanye troll move \n\nKanye: *beats someone to death in a Wal Mart*\n\nKanye stans: omg guys he was trolling\u201d — autumn (@autumn) 1664817478

The Atlantic writer and cultural journalist Jemele Hill argued that even if the shirt was a supposed “media stunt,” its statement is irresponsible given West’s immeasurable influence and the loyalty of his fans.

\u201cSo many folks are trying to excuse Kanye wearing a white lives matter t-shirt as just a troll move or marketing. Maybe it is. But it\u2019s a dangerously dumb message to send for someone with his massive platform. I been off dude. But y\u2019all go ahead labeling his foolishness as genius.\u201d — Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1664822476

Self-proclaimed “theocratic fascist” and What is A Woman documentary-maker Matt Walsh contested Hill, arguing that she “despise[s] white people” for criticizing West.

\u201cYou truly don\u2019t have the range for this. The REASON we don\u2019t have to say white lives matter is because white lives have never NOT mattered. The default position in this country is white = worthiness. The same has never been true for Black people. You\u2019re welcome.\u201d — Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1664825169

Building off the legacy of his 2018 claim that slavery was a choice, YZYSZN9 adds another layer to the ongoing discourse of West's racial theory. Though we may never fully decipher it, this will doubtfully be the last we, or the internet, hear of it.

#yeezy #bullshit and games #slavery was not a choice unless you were white

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