Kanye West has apparently decided that Trump’s politics are no longer convenient for him, the BBC reports.
The polarizing rapper, fashion designer, and now-former Trump BFF tweeted on Tuesday that he’s “distancing” himself from politics and “completely focusing on being creative.”
Funny enough, this enlightened announcement came on the same day that Footwear News ran a story on a Spotted report about West’s marketability.
My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!
— ye (@kanyewest) October 30, 2018
Spotted CEO Janet Comenos told the outlet that West is “an extremely risky choice, and not someone I’d be recommending to a brand in the fashion space.”
She suggested that his erratic behavior (consumers rated West as more “wacky” than 97% of his peers) made him an unreliable brand spokesperson.
West has certainly been busy over the past couple of years, but he’s really amped it up in 2018.
This year, he’s tweeted photos of his “Make America Great Again” hat, bonded with Trump over their similar “dragon energy,” called slavery a choice, and given a speech in support of the president during his appearance on SNL.
He’s also revealed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, then said this was actually incorrect, and that he was just sleep-deprived, Refinery29 reports.
KANYE SNL TALK THAT GOT CUT OFF FREEDOM OF SPEECH SHOULD HAVE EXTENDED pic.twitter.com/IpULoEJxsN
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) September 30, 2018
While we can’t know for sure what West is experiencing mentally, we can hope that he’s finding some way to turn things around.
Maybe removing himself from politics really is just a business strategy designed to clean up his image and make him more marketable. Or maybe he’s truly seen the issues with his latest position, and is now genuinely trying to make a change.
People can (and should) change their views as they grow and learn. (Yes, this can apply to adults, too.) If that’s what this is, then good for him.
In these uncertain times, maybe he’s just trying to regain his footing. Though a lot of us (thankfully) didn’t react in the same way, I think we can all relate to that feeling of being lost.