Akon has backed down on his assist of Kanye West, saying he was encouraging the thought of free speech, slightly than the controversial rapper’s precise views.
West has confronted a wave of backlash over the previous two months after posting a sequence of antisemitic remarks on-line, together with one the place he mentioned he didn’t imagine within the time period antisemitism. He was subsequently suspended from Twitter and Instagram and several other firms ended their affiliation with him – together with Adidas, who officially terminated their Yeezy partnership.
While many artists, celebrities, and politicians have publicly condemned West over his remarks, Akon has now expressed assist for Kanye in a brand new interview with sports activities analyst and former NFL participant Shannon Sharpe.
“I’m always defending the people that nobody wants to defend,” Akon mentioned. “I’ma always defend Kanye West because I always believe in life and opinion is just an opinion. If Ye say something that I don’t agree with, I just don’t agree with it. But I’m not gon’ go jumping all mad and letting it affect my energy.”
Now, in an interview with Channel 4, Akon clarified his feedback, and mentioned he doesn’t endorse West’s views, which most just lately embody praising Adolf Hitler and defending the acts of Nazis.
Akon mentioned: “That reply wasn’t based mostly on what it was painted to be. You know, Kanye remarks every single day. You can’t sustain with all of the offensive feedback that he’s making.
“I know him personally. I don’t believe he’s in the right place. Honestly, it’s very irresponsible to interview him, I don’t believe that anything he says people should take to heart.”
The rapper added: “Anyone that is aware of me is aware of that me and Kanye are nowhere close to the identical. We have completely completely different views. I might by no means, in any circumstance, maintain the identical place as Kanye in that matter.
“It wasn’t him that I used to be supporting. It was the opinion of individuals and having the correct to have your individual opinion. I didn’t know that it was going to be linked to one thing that he particularly mentioned.
“I condemn hate. Period. I don’t care who – if my mother hated, I wouldn’t agree with my mum.”
Watch the interview under.
In one other current defence of Kanye, Akon addressed the current controversy across the rapper, stating that he believes the rapper’s actions are a part of his plans to turn into the subsequent US president.
During an interview, he mentioned he thinks West’s current behaviour is a part of a plot to take Donald Trump‘s voting base within the subsequent presidential election.
“I think Kanye is smarter than y’all think,” he added. “This the brilliant side of him. What is his next plan? To run for office, right. I’m just sayin’! From our knowledge, his next plan is to run for office, right? Who was his main endorser? Trump.”
“In order for Kanye to have a shot, he needs to have a piece of that base. This is how he’s getting it. And he knows this!”
The disgraced rapper made his return to music earlier this week, dropping his first unique music in months – which featured lyrics addressing his current controversies and the following condemnation he confronted, in addition to a pattern of his controversial Alex Jones interview.
West’s focus of late has been occupied by his 2024 presidential marketing campaign, the thrill round which has been stored alight by interviews the place he’s espoused antisemitic sentiments and viewpoints aligning with neo-Nazism. In his newest interview – one with far-right commentator Gavin McInnes, sat in on by white supremacist Nick Fuentes – West implored Jewish folks to “forgive Hitler” and preferred each pornography and abortion to the Holocaust.